Research

Overview

The Yale MRI groups mission is to develop novel MR imaging methods with both clinical and basic science applications. Research is underway to address basic science questions -- from stem cell migration and mechanisms of recovery, to understanding tissue damage and remodeling, to fundamental questions regarding brain function. The MRI group is highly interdisciplinary, and scientists within the group come from backgrounds of physics, engineering, chemistry, mathematics, and neuroscience.

Current Projects

R. Todd Constable:  My lab has efforts underway examining the relationship between the increment in the functional MR signal measured during a task (cognitive or sensory/motor) and the influence of baseline brain activity on this increment. We have research projects aimed at understanding negative blood oxygenation level dependent signal changes observed in certain cognitive tasks and the relationship between simultaneously recorded surface EEG signals and fMRI, in order to better understand the relationship between the fMRI signal changes measured and brain function. Clinical applications include localization of inter-ictal electrical discharges in the brains of epilepsy patients, assessing normal vs. abnormal cortical connectivity, and functional mapping for neurosurgical treatment planning. In more fundamental MR engineering projects we are focused on developing novel MR imaging strategies for faster and more efficient parallel imaging. Some examples of current research projects in my laboratory include:

  • Development of an approach to highly efficient parallel imaging.
  • Understanding the influence of baseline activity on brain function.
  • Understanding the relationship between EEG and fMRI.
  • Studying functional connectivity and what it tells us about how the brain is wired.

Smita Sampath: Below are some research projects in which I am currently involved:

  • The role of microvascular obstruction in LV remodeling post myocardial infarction and reperfusion:We propose to explore the structural and functional mechanisms that lead to infarct expansion post myocardial infarction and reperfusion, with a specific focus in identifying the contributory role of microvascular obstruction. The presence of microvascular obstruction in reperfused infarcts is a strong independent predictor of poor long-term prognosis, and is associated with heart failure (HF). We are developing novel MR imaging methods that quantify and characterize these events serially in pre-clinical animal studies, with eventual translation into a patient population.
  • Develop MR imaging methods to quantify three dimensional strains in the left ventricle: The regional quantification of 3-D strain in the left ventricle has a wide range of compelling clinical applications; however, currently available methods are not ideally suited for clinical translation. We are developing high temporal resolution free breathing approaches to quantify regional strains in three-dimensions based on MR tagging and harmonic phase (HARP) imaging principles.   

Erik M. Shapiro: Working at the intersection of chemistry, physics and biology, my laboratory has three main cores.

  • The first is the development of novel MRI contrast agents. Here, the focus is the construction of high relaxivity superparamagnetic nano- and micro-particles whose MRI properties can be made sensitive to various stimuli - gene expression, for example.
  • The second core is the use of magnetic resonance imaging for monitoring cell migration. Cells can be loaded with MRI contrast agents and observed using tailored experimental conditions. This can be accomplished both in transplant models and in the detection of endogenous cells, with the ability to detect single cells, in vivo. Current models under investigation in the laboratory are migration of native and non-native immune cells, homing of transplanted stem cells, and migration of endogenous neuronal progenitor cells.
  • The third focus of the laboratory is the use of targeted contrast agents to detect specific molecular epitopes. The strategy here is to selectively target MRI contrast agent to precise tissues or cells of interest by way of antibody- or receptor-mediated affinity. This could be particularly useful in detecting cancer and for identifying unique cellular populations.