Brain Structure and Function Evaluated with Magnetic Resonance Elastography

Hillary Schwarb, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Usage Details

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a powerful neuroimaging tool for clinicians and researchers interested in studying the structure, function, and health of the human brain by measuring the mechanical properties of neural tissue. High-resolution MRE techniques allow for mapping brain viscoelasticity with accuracy and precision; however, such techniques are hampered by excessive image reconstruction and mechanical inversion times that limit their use in research and adoption into standard practice. The Blue Waters system allows for these reconstruction and processing operations to be performed rapidly, simultaneously, and at a scale commensurate with MRE data collection at the Beckman Institute and the Carle Neuroscience Institute. The goal of this research proposal is two-fold: 1) To complete analyses for ongoing neuroimaging projects previously supported by Blue Waters through past allocations and 2) to provide an efficient solution to enable MRE data analysis of the large data sets previously collected using a clinical Siemens Prisma MRI system. Given the size and complexity of these data sets, without the power capability of Blue Waters we do not currently have the ability to process these data and assess the value of taking advantage of the resolution improvements possible with a Prisma system.