Program Overview
Type: Vanderbilt Initiative Award (ViA)
Vanderbilt is a leader in the application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the neurosciences and the 7 Tesla human MRI instrument was one of the first installed in the United States. At Vanderbilt, this has been used by engineers, scientists and physicians in the neuroscience community to understand human brain functions and detect and diagnose neurological disorders. The juxtaposition of engineers and neuroscientists in our schools provides a unique opportunity to design and construct the next generation of high-field MRI instruments. The goal of this program is to increase the number of transmitters and channels on the 7 Tesla instrument from a single channel to sixteen. In addition, theoretical and practical methods for optimizing the combination of fields from the many transmitters will be developed. Successful construction of this instrument would make it the first in the United States, providing unprecedented opportunities for research and clinical application in the neurosciences.
Faculty Participants
Lead Faculty in bold
School of Medicine
- John Gore, Hertha Ramsey Cress University Professor
- Stephan Heckers, William P. and Henry B. Test Professor of Psychiatry
- Reid Thompson, William F. Meacham Professor of Neurological Surgery
College of Arts & Science
- Isabel Gauthier, David K. Wilson Chair of Psychology
- Frank Tong, Professor of Psychology
School of Engineering
Adam Anderson, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering- William Grissom, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering