Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) News and Research

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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a large magnet and radio waves to look at organs and structures inside your body. Health care professionals use MRI scans to diagnose a variety of conditions, from torn ligaments to tumors. MRIs are very useful for examining the brain and spinal cord. Also called: Magnetic resonance imaging, NMR, Nuclear magnetic resonance.

PET might be a promising tool for early prediction of response to chemotherapy for ovarian can

Noninvasive positron emission tomography (PET) imaging may allow earlier prediction of a patient's response to chemotherapy for ovarian cancer, according to research reported at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 52nd Annual Meeting June 18–22 in Toronto.

20 Jun 2005

Arterial spin labeling distinguishes between Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia

A non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique called arterial spin labeling is just as accurate as invasive scanning techniques in distinguishing Alzheimer's disease from frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in the brains of elderly people, according to a new study at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC).

19 Jun 2005

Placebos can affect emotion as well relieving pain

Just as placebos have been shown to bring relief from pain, researchers have now found that they can affect emotion, alleviating the impact of unpleasant experiences.

15 Jun 2005

Holographic movies show promise for medical applications

In a small research laboratory at UT Southwestern Medical Center, a grainy, red movie of circling fighter jets emerges from a table-top black box, while nearby, a video of a rotating human heart hangs suspended in a tank of gooey gel.

14 Jun 2005

Multisequential MRI approach improves heart inflammation diagnosis

A multisequential approach to cardiovascular magnetic resonance scans that highlight different aspects of heart structure and function may offer a better and safer way to identify potentially deadly inflammation of the heart muscle, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 7, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

9 Jun 2005

Fundamental insights in how amyloid fibers form

Amyloid fibers are best known as the plaque that gunks up neurons in people with neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer's and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease--the human analog of mad cow disease.

9 Jun 2005

Doctors study surgery to stop epileptic seizures

Melinda Hillyard of Winchester, Va., first had epileptic seizures when she was eight years old. The seizures went away for years, then returned after the birth of her first child. "I never knew when my world would turn upside down," she recalled.

6 Jun 2005

New research shows that threatened drug treatments slow damage to the brain caused by dementia

New research suggests that currently available anti dementia drugs not only alleviate the symptoms, but also reduce the destructive processes that kill brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease.

2 Jun 2005

Ageing and Health publication by the Medical Research Council highlights groundbreaking work on the ageing process

With life expectancy increasing worldwide, a new 'Ageing and Health' (PDF) publication by the Medical Research Council (MRC) highlights groundbreaking work on the ageing process, which could help elderly people not only live longer, but also lead healthier and happier lives.

2 Jun 2005

Interconnections between different parts of the brain are dynamic and not static

Using a newly released method to analyze functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Northwestern University researchers have demonstrated that the interconnections between different parts of the brain are dynamic and not static.

1 Jun 2005

How the human brain can learn without thinking

Watch out -- you may learn something and not even know it, says Takeo Watanabe, an associate professor of psychology at Boston University's Center for Brain and Memory. Watanabe and his team recently pinpointed the mechanism that makes subliminal learning work. Watanabe will present the team's findings at the American Psychological Society meeting in Los Angeles, May 27 and 28.

26 May 2005

Moderate program of physical exercise helps maintain bone mass in elderly

Debunking the myth that exercising to lose excess body fat, unlike dieting alone, comes at a cost to bone health, researchers at Johns Hopkins have determined that for those age 55 to 75, a moderate program of physical exercise generally maintains bone mass and, in some cases, offers modest improvements.

25 May 2005

So you thought that smell was cheese!

Researchers in the UK have found that visual words can influence the perception of smells, with pleasant words influencing olfactory brain regions to perceive an odour as pleasant, an interesting idea that might hold particular relevance for restaurateurs and advertisers.

20 May 2005

Combined MRI and mammography more effective at detecting breast cancer in high risk women

Annual screening, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-ray mammography, is the best way to detect breast cancer in women that have a high genetic risk of the disease, according to a study published online by The Lancet.

16 May 2005

Magnetic stimulation treatment for depression

Barbara Baas ran away from home and tried to kill herself as a teenager. As an adult, she has tried more than 15 varieties of antidepressants. But, thanks to a new weapon, she has finally reached a truce in a 45-year battle.

10 May 2005

African Americans and Caucasians viewing African American faces display extremely similar changes in the activity of brain structures that respond to emotional events

The changes occur in the amygdala, a region of the brain that serves as an "alarm" to activate a cascade of other biological systems to protect the body in times of danger, said Matthew D. Lieberman, assistant professor of psychology at UCLA and lead author of the study.

9 May 2005

"Anxiety Gene" linked to depression, makes the body out of tune

U.S. scientists in viewing the human body as a well-tuned orchestra, say that think they may have found a discordant note in the form of a gene which appears to increase the likelihood of some people developing anxiety and depression.

9 May 2005

Suspect gene may increase susceptibility to anxiety and depression

People with the depression-linked gene variant showed less gray matter and weaker connections in the mood-regulating circuit. How well the circuit was connected accounted for nearly 30 percent of their anxious temperament

8 May 2005

MRI study shows hormone leptin alters brains, may ease cravings of people with obesity gene

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study finds that the protein hormone leptin promotes development of gray matter in the part of the brain that regulates cravings and the ability to monitor personal behavior.

4 May 2005

Fusing physics with medicine to fight cancer

Everyone’s lives are touched by cancer - it is a disease that affects 1 in 3 of us throughout our lifetime. Future developments that lead to earlier diagnosis and more effective therapy lie in further successful collaboration between high energy physicists and the healthcare industry.

2 May 2005