Early Detection of Neurodegenerative and Psychiatric Diseases Based on fMRI Analysis of Spontaneous Brain Activity
Principal Investigators: VESA KIVINIEMI1, YU-FENG ZANG2
1Oulu University Hospital, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, 2State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning Beijing Normal University, China
Latest developments in detecting spontaneous brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) enable early detection of socio-economically costly neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases in research settings. The goal of this research project is to make the detection spontaneous brain activity changes in neurodegenerative and psychiatric brain diseases clinically feasible. Functional MRI techniques such as Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) contrast, Pulsed Arterial Spin Labeling (PASL), and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) are utilized in imaging of spontaneous activity and connections of brain networks. Finnish birth cohorts and Chinese disease cohorts are used in defining normal and pathological findings.
Methods of projecting the multidimensional MRI data into lower dimensions are employed in order to characterize networks and brain activity. The methods include at least Independent Component Analysis (ICA), Regional Homogeneity analysis (ReHo) and novel Functional Feature Mapping (FFM). The methodology is evaluated on subjects with Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) of the cohorts.
The research will contribute to the development of novel tools for detecting brain pathology. The earlier detection and capability to follow-up the pathological changes enables the development of new treatment strategies for these diseases and more efficient use of existing ones. The models formulated based on the new understanding will be verified against patient data from both Finnish and Chinese databases. The findings are expected to have a long-term impact on mental healthcare.
Contact: vesa.kiviniemi(at)oulu.fi, tel. +358 8 315 2480