Research
Overview
Our research is focused on how electricity and magnetism interact with the human body.
Detecting Intraventricular Hemorrhage in Newborns
It's somewhat common to find a build-up of blood in the brains of babies born several weeks too soon. Left untreated, these hemorrhages have been linked to dangerous developmental disabilities, and are sometimes even fatal.
Magnetic Resonance Electrical Impedance Tomography (MREIT)
We are developing high resolution conductivity imaging techniques using this new hybrid method in collaboration with the Impedance Imaging Research Center at Kyung Hee University in South Korea. MREIT data is collected by taking MRI images of subjects who simultaneously have an electrical current applied. Our method can reconstruct current density and conductivity images in selected planes without needing to rotate the subject.
In collaboration with the McKnight Brain Institute, we are setting up methods to gather MREIT images at high fields (11T and 17.6T). At high fields, the method's sensitivity to small conductivity changes is also very high, and we aim eventually to image conductivity changes caused by neural activity in the salamander retina (at 17.6 T) and rat hearing centers (at 11T).
For more information about our partner research institutions, visit their Web sites:- Impedance Imaging Research Center (IIRC) at Kyung Hee University
- McKnight Brain Institute (MBI) at the University of Florida
Monitoring Intraperitoneal Bleeding
Bleeding in the abdominal cavity is a frequent consequence of the blunt trauma suffered in motor vehicle accidents. Often it is undetected by conventional clinical screening techniques. We have developed a monitoring method that can quantify the rate of bleeding and thus the urgency of surgery. At present we are readying a new commercial device for clinical trial.
tcMEP Optimization
Our lab is working with Active Diagnostics in Davis, Calif., to optimize the injection sites and stimulus levels used in trans-cranial Motor Evoked Potentials (tcMEP). tcMEPs are a method of monitoring, during surgery, the integrity of brain motor pathways. The brain is stimulated using scalp electrodes and the motor signals stimulated are monitored downstream (on the hand or leg). tcMEP monitoring provides an early warning system for surgeons working in delicate areas of the brain. Usually, tcMEP electrodes and voltages are selected by trial and error. We are aiming to combine electrical measurements and imaging to determine the best electrode sites and the lowest stimulation voltages required. For more information on Active Diagnostics, visit its Web site.
