Grant: Operating Grant

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the human brain is a technique that allows the localization of brain activity with no harmful effects. Since its development 20 years ago, fMRI has revolutionized neuroscience research on the functional organization of the healthy human brain but its use in the clinical evaluation of patients is limited. The broad goal of our research is to extend fMRI methods beyond detecting where the activity is, to permit quantitative physiological measurements of cerebral blood flow, blood volume, and oxygen consumption. We believe such methods are essential if fMRI is to have a major impact on the clinical evaluation and treatment of patients. We will use our new methods to examine the baseline physiology of the brain and its responses to stimulation in both healthy subjects and patients. Specifically, we will study diseases that affect the normal coupling between brain activity and the regulation of blood flow to the brain. The clinical conditions considered in this study will be moyamoya disease and transient ischemic attacks, also known as mini-strokes.