The University of Alabama at Birmingham is using a new research-specific, head-only functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner to advance neuroscience research into conditions such as autism, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia.

The 3-tesla MRI is located in the Civitan International Research Center on 6th Ave. South.

"There are only about 12 head-only 3-T scanners in the country," says Harald W. Sontheimer, PhD, professor of neurobiology and director of the Civitan Center. "This machine paves the way for truly exciting opportunities to unravel the riddles surrounding developmental disorders, memory loss, mental illness and other neurologic conditions."

The MRI was installed in February, with a crane used to lift the 4-ton unit up and through a hole in the exterior of the building onto the first floor of the Civitan International Research Center. Research imaging started in early May. Some of the first projects being ramped up include a study looking at schizophrenia patients, an autism imaging project, and a project being developed with UAB's vision science research center.

"There's a whole slew of projects in areas that we'll be following in upcoming months, including other neurodevelopmental disorders, brain tumors, stroke, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease, to name a few," says N. Shastry Akella, PhD, research assistant professor for the UAB Department of Biomedical Engineering and director of the Civitan Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory.

Akella notes that this scanner is optimized for imaging the brain. An additional piece of equipment being installed is a specialized computer that can deliver visual or auditory stimuli while the brain is being scanned.

"It actually allows scientists to deliver still pictures or movies to subjects as we make images of their brain," he says. "In autism, for instance, there is a deficit in understanding or interpreting facial expressions. One of the things we are hoping to do is compare autistic children with healthy children to see how the brain responds to, say, a known face vs. an unknown face, or a happy face vs. a sad face. This particular setup is going to allow us to do just that."

An added benefit of the head-only MRI is its smaller size, Akella says. This not only makes it less intimidating for the subject, but also will allow parents to be in the room with children to provide a calming influence during the scan.

Akella emphasizes that this scanner was purchased exclusively for research. "Most or all of the actual scanner time will be spent doing research imaging, as opposed to clinical diagnostic imaging." UAB already has two whole-body 3-T MRIs used primarily for clinical diagnostic services.

"If there are any neuroimaging research questions that neurologists or psychiatrists have and are interested in exploring a particular research project, we would be happy to take calls and work with them and try to develop specific projects and protocols," Akella says. "We're eager to explore collaborative opportunities with the local neuroscience community."

The $3 million project was funded by the Civitan International Foundation's Chesapeake Civitan District, the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, the Hill Crest Foundation, the Hugh Kaul Foundation and the state of Alabama.



June 2007