Dr. R. Marc Lebel

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive and safe imaging modality providing structural, functional, and metabolic information from soft tissues. It has found widespread adoption for clinical and research purposes. However, many contrast mechanisms remain unexplored and long acquisition times often compromise data quality from non-compliant subjects. My pediatric research program has two synergistic objectives: (1) develop and refine methods for rapid image acquisition and (2) explore novel contrast mechanisms for investigating the developing brain. The first objective entails both improving acquisition efficiency and reconstructing images from undersampled data in order to obtain images in less time while monitoring and correcting subject motion. This objective is crucial for effective imaging of young children and adolescents. The second objective involves refining emerging contrast mechanisms, most notably arterial spin labeling — a method for measuring regional brain perfusion without the use of a contrast agent. This objective holds considerable promise for characterizing pediatric brain development and for assessing acute and chronic conditions, like traumatic brain injury. Abnormally high or low blood flow is implicated in many neurological conditions, yet the role of perfusion during development and following pediatric brain injury is poorly understood yet likely plays a crucial role. I aim to enhance our understanding of the role of brain perfusion in brain development.