The Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit is a multidisciplinary team including physicists, engineers, neuroscientists and clinicians working together. The Unit is home to two instruments, a 7T MRI scanner and PET/CT scanner, both of which are being used to study human brain diseases like dementia, traumatic injury and MS.
The physics team, led by Prof Roger Ordidge and A/Prof Brad Moffatt are leading the development of new methods that aim to make 7T MRI more accessible and cost effective using novel radio frequency pulses that are better suited to higher field scanners.
The engineering team, led by A/Prof Leigh Johnston, is developing new methods for ultra-short echo time imaging that can be used for a number of applications, including X-nuclear imaging.
The Unit is currently engaged in a number of applications projects including a study of brain injury in Vietnam Veterans that uses both PET/CT to measure Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and MRI to measure features of brain damage. A collaborative project between Dr Scott Kolbe and Prof Mary Galea, a human movement researcher, aims to study networks in the brain involved in walking, and how these break down in patients with MS. Dr Jon Cleary is using Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping to study iron accumulation in the MS brain in order to develop biomarkers for neurodegeneration.
The MBC Imaging Unit welcomes collaborative enquires.
The corticospinal tract, the main motor pathway, as seen by high resolution diffusion-tractography in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients. The colour of the tracks indicate the local axon fibre orientation (green: dorsal-ventral, red: left-right, blue: inferior-superior) and brain slices in the (A) coronal, (B) axial and (C) sagittal plane are shown. A zoomed in portion of the CST streamlines is shown in (D).
Image credit: Myrte Strik, Stacey Telianidis, Jon Cleary, Scott Kolbe
3D volume rendering and corresponding gradient echo images of an ex vivo mid-coronal brain from a healthy brain imaged at 7 Tesla. Detailed, fine structures can be seen including sub-regions of the basal ganglia and layers of the cortex (red box).
Image credit: Jon Cleary, Scott Kolbe, Catriona Mclean
MRI is able to produce detailed images of the posterior part of the eye and orbital anatomy. This shows example of high resolution gradient echo images of the eye acquired at multiple flip-angles, allowing a T1 map of tissues to be measured.
Image credit: Jon Cleary, Rebecca Glarin, Bao Nguyen, Scott Kolbe, Brad Moffat
This month we feature research from Yasmin Blunk of Parkville node. Yasmin's Ph.D. work focuses on Sodium MRI. Sodium is the second most abundant MR observable nucleus and has the potential to provide tissue information that is quite different from that of conventionally acquired proton-based MR images.
This month we feature research from Myrte Strik of Parkville node. Myrte's Ph.D. work focuses on the integration of gait biomechanics and 7 Tesla MRI to monitor and predict the progression of gait dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
The Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit is always looking for healthy volunteers. If you are interested in being a participant for one of our studies feel free to get in touch with us at 7tmri-bookings@unimelb.edu.au
The VBIC Network Meeting is scheduled for Friday 27 October in the Auditorium at Monash Biomedical Imaging, Clayton. Join us for the latest developments in imaging, speakers, networking lunch and drinks.
Mark your calendar now and watch this space for more details!
We are excited to launch the Australasian Women in Neuroscience group, supported by the Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience (ACNS) and Australasian Neuroscience (ANS) Societies. The goal for this new group is to provide a safe space for open, non-judgemental discussion and sharing of ideas regarding issues important for women in neuroscience, and neuroscience-related or associated disciplines.
AWINS will initially centre around a closed Facebook page, where participants can share and discuss any issues they find important – from current news, gender and social issues, career advice, parenting, personal questions – and of course, neuroscience! We hope to develop a supportive environment for any person identifying as a woman in neuroscience at any career level, so come and visit us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/women.in.neuroscience/ and say hi!
The page is promoted by and supports the gender equity policies of ANS and ACNS, but is independent from these two Societies. You don’t need to be a member of either Society, or in a discipline that is strictly defined as ‘neuroscience’ – neurologists, psychophysiologists, neurotrauma researchers - anyone with an interest in neuroscience in the Australasian region is welcome to join.
The page will be lightly moderated, so you can post under your own name, or anonymously by emailing our moderators at mods.awins@gmail.com.
We hope to be chatting with you soon!
Lindy Fitzgerald & Sharna Jamadar
Australasian Women in Neuroscience
Fantastic workshops: multivariate pattern classification, TMS, NiRS, Neuroanatomy for Neuroimagers.
Brilliant keynotes: Professor Angela Clow (University of Westminster, Links between aging, cortisol secretion and cognitive function), Professor Tom Palmeri (Vanderbilt University, Approaches to model-based cognitive neuroscience), and Professor Charles Spence (University of Oxford, Gastrophysics: pleasure and plain at the dining table).
Here at VBIC we are always looking to add new information about how the imaging equipment across Victoria is being used - on its own or in conjunction with other platform technologies.
As an example, check out some of the articles containing data generated from VBIC equipment. If you would like to add yours to our list, send it through (vbic@ravencg.com.au).
VBIC provides resources for use across the imaging community. These resources have been developed based on needs expressed to us by the user community. Current resources cover:
If you have an idea or requirement for a resource, send us a suggestion via email.
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Promote your events and publications through VBIC. Our website is regularly updated with news and event items. These items can also be circulated through twitter. If you would like an item advertised through VBIC email us.
