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Ongoing Research Projects |
The Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)This multisite trial examines rates of change in MCI, healhty controls and mild Alzheimer's Disease. Click here to learn more about the study and view brochures.
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Imaging of Vulnerable Brain Regions in People at Risk for AD. Brochures Two key brain regions that are affected early in the course of AD, well before clinical symptoms appear, are the mesial temporal lobe area, and the posterior cingulate gyrus, both limbic structures. The mesial temporal lobe includes the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and amygdala, structures that are involved in forming new memories among other things. The posterior cingulate is functionally complex and has been shown to be activated during recollection of prior events, recollection of personal schemata (non-episodic recollection of traits and personal qualities), and also in the processing of emotional content. Although these regions are known to be involved in early AD, it is not known how early in the lifespan they are affected, or whether there is compensatory reorganization of the brain to accommodate dysfunctional tissue. NIH and Veterans Administration funded studies are now ongoing involving persons with risk factors for AD to determine what functional and structural brain changes can be observed reliably and how early in the lifespan changes can be detected. This work is a collaborative multidisciplinary effort with scientists and clinicians in the Section of Geriatrics in the Department of Medicine, the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the VA Hospital, the Alzheimer's Institute, the Waisman Brain Imaging Lab at the Waisman Center, and Departments of Radiology and Medical Physics.
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Neurobehavioral Recovery After Traumatic Brain Injury Fortunately, traumatic brain injury is almost always associated with some degree of cognitive and behavioral recovery. Our NIMH funded study examines how the brain changes after injury to facilitate recovery. We are particularly interested in higher cognitive processes such as the accuracy of one's post injury self-concept (or insight / self-awareness). We are using functional MRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging to examine brain changes in the first year post-injury. We also utilize neuropsychological tests and measures of the accuracy of one's self-awareness.
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Multi-subject Rhesus Macaque Atlas Templates Presently, rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) imaging studies have been limited in their generalization by a lack of a common atlas composed from multiple individuals. Through a joint collaboration between the National Institute on Aging, Oregon Health and Science University and University of Wisconsin - Madison, we have constructed a new set of multi-sbuject atlas templates in order to facilitate functional and structural imaging studies of the rhesus macaque. |