Thomas T Liu
University Of California San Diego
Project start date: 2012-01-27
Project end date: 2013-11-30
Sponsored Links Excellgen http://Excellgen.com
Grants awarded to Thomas T Liu
UPGRADE OF THE UCSD 3T WHOLE BODY MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SYSTEM
Thomas T Liu, Assoc. Professor Of Radiology
University Of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, Dept 0934, La Jolla, Ca 92093-0934
Grant 1S10RR026480-01 from National Center For Research Resources
Abstract: This shared instrumentation grant request funds to partially offset the cost of an upgrade of the current 3 Tesla whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system at the UCSD Center for Functional MRI (CFMRI). In comparison to our existing system, the upgrade is expected to provide significant improvements in performance in the following areas (1) improved signal stability, (2) increased ability to perform demanding experimental protocols for functional MRI studies, and (3) a greater level of reliability, resulting in less down- time of the system. These improvements in performance will benefit over 30 currently funded NIH studies covering a diverse set of research areas, including the neurobiology of alcoholism, brain function in Alzheimer´s disease, and the perception of pain in depression. The upgrade of the 3 Tesla system, which serves the needs of the San Diego research community, will allow the CFMRI to continue to support the cutting-edge research being performed at UCSD and its neighboring institutions. The proposed system upgrade will greatly benefit ongoing NIH-funded studies that are focused on understanding the function of the brain in both health and disease. These studies are likely to result in the improved diagnosis and treatment of a number of health conditions, such as alcoholism, stroke, and Alzheimer´s disease
Keywords: Alcoholism; Alzheimer; Alzheimer disease; Alzheimer sclerosis; Alzheimer syndrome; Alzheimer`s; Alzheimer`s Disease; Alzheimers Dementia; Alzheimers disease; Apoplexy; Area; Brain; Cell Communication and Signaling; Cell Signaling; Cerebral Stroke; Cerebrovascular Apoplexy; Cerebrovascular Stroke; Cerebrovascular accident; Communities; Dementia, Alzheimer Type; Dementia, Primary Senile Degenerative; Dementia, Senile; Diagnosis; Disease; Disorder; Encephalon; Encephalons; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Funding; Grant; Health; Institution; Instrumentation, Other; Intracellular Communication and Signaling; MR Imaging; MR Tomography; MRI; MRI, Functional; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Functional; Medical Imaging, Magnetic Resonance / Nuclear Magnetic Resonance; NIH; NMR Imaging; NMR Tomography; National Institutes of Health; National Institutes of Health (U.S.); Nervous System, Brain; Neurobiology; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Pain; Painful; Perception; Performance; Primary Senile Degenerative Dementia; Protocol; Protocols documentation; Reliability of Results; Research; Signal Transduction; Signal Transduction Systems; Signaling; Stroke; System; System, LOINC Axis 4; Time; United States National Institutes of Health; Vascular Accident, Brain; Zeugmatography; biological signal transduction; brain attack; cerebral vascular accident; cost; dementia of the Alzheimer type; depression; disease/disorder; fMRI; improved; instrumentation; neurobiological; primary degenerative dementia; public health relevance; senile dementia of the Alzheimer type; stroke
Project start date: 2010-02-18
Project end date: 2011-02-17
Budget start date: 18-FEB-2010
Budget end date: 17-FEB-2011
PFA/PA: PAR-09-028
1S10RR026480-01 (2010): $500000
NEUROVASCULAR FACTORS IN FUNCTIONAL MRI
Thomas T Liu, Assoc. Professor Of Radiology
University Of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, Dept 0934, La Jolla, Ca 92093-0934
Grant 5R01NS051661-05 from National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke
Abstract: Since its introduction over a decade ago, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revolutionized studies of the working human brain. While most fMRI studies measure the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response to a functional task, there has been growing interest in the use of resting-state BOLD fMRI, in which the connectivity between different brain regions is measured while the subject is at rest (e.g. not actively performing a task). Resting-state BOLD approaches may be particularly effective for clinical usage because they do not require the patient to perform a task and can be obtained in a short amount of time. A number of studies applying resting-state connectivity measures to the assessment of disease have reported significant disease-related changes in connectivity. However, the interpretation of these changes in connectivity is not straightforward, because the mechanisms underlying resting-state BOLD connectivity are not well understood. The BOLD signal represents the hemodynamic response to neural activity, and is a complicated function of changes in blood flow, blood volume, and oxygen metabolism. As a result, changes in resting-state connectivity can reflect a complex combination of neural, vascular, and metabolic factors. A better understanding of the primary factors that modulate resting-state connectivity is therefore critical for the accurate interpretation of resting-state measures. The goal of this proposal is to identify measures of neural power fluctuations and neurovascular coupling that can best account for changes in resting-state BOLD connectivity. The specific aims of this project are to identify the measures that most effectively explain changes in resting-state connectivity due to (a) caffeine usage and (b) inter-subject differences in physiology
Keywords: 1, 3, 7-Trimethylxanthine; 1H-Purine-2, 6-dione, 3, 7-dihydro-1, 3, 7-trimethyl-; Accounting; Acetamide, N-(5-(aminosulfonyl)-1, 3, 4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-; Acetazolamide; Affect; Alzheimer; Alzheimer disease; Alzheimer sclerosis; Alzheimer syndrome; Alzheimer`s; Alzheimer`s Disease; Alzheimers Dementia; Alzheimers disease; BOLD response; Blood Vessels; Blood Volume; Blood flow; Brain; Brain region; Caffeine; Carbon dioxide, increased level; Cell Communication and Signaling; Cell Signaling; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Clinical; Clinical Research; Clinical Study; Complex; Coupling; Dementia, Alzheimer Type; Dementia, Primary Senile Degenerative; Dementia, Senile; Dependence; Disease; Disorder; Drugs; EEG; Electroencephalography; Encephalon; Encephalons; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Goals; Health; Human; Human, General; Hypercapnia; Intermediary Metabolism; Intracellular Communication and Signaling; Investigators; Knowledge; Lead; METBL; MRI, Functional; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Functional; Magnetoencephalography; Man (Taxonomy); Man, Modern; Measurement; Measures; Medication; Metabolic; Metabolic Processes; Metabolism; Methods; Nervous; Nervous System, Brain; O element; O2 element; Oxygen; Patients; Pb element; Pharmaceutic Preparations; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Physiology; Population; Primary Senile Degenerative Dementia; Procedures; Public Health; Reporting; Research Personnel; Researchers; Rest; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenic Disorders; Signal Transduction; Signal Transduction Systems; Signaling; Time; Vasodilatation; Vasodilation; Vasorelaxation; Withdrawal; Work; base; biological signal transduction; blood oxygen level dependent; blood oxygenation level dependent response; carbon dioxide retention; cerebral blood flow; cerebral circulation; cerebrocirculation; clinical applicability; clinical application; dementia of the Alzheimer type; dementia praecox; disease/disorder; drug/agent; elevated carbon dioxide; fMRI; heavy metal Pb; heavy metal lead; hemodynamics; hypercarbia; imaging modality; improved; interest; neural; primary degenerative dementia; public health medicine (field); relating to nervous system; response; schizophrenic; senile dementia of the Alzheimer type; vascular
Relevance: (Relevance to Public Health) The proposed project will provide a detailed understanding of the neurovascular factors that can modulate measures of resting-state BOLD connectivity. Accomplishment of the aims of this project is also expected to result in improved methods for analyzing resting-state measures. These advances will significantly improve the application of resting-state measures for the assessment of disease
Project start date: 2005-04-01
Project end date: 2011-07-31
Budget start date: 1-AUG-2010
Budget end date: 31-JUL-2011
PFA/PA: PA-07-070
5R01NS051661-05 (2010): $402001
Vascular Dynamics In Functional MRI
Thomas T Liu
University Of California San Diego 9500 Gilman Dr, Dept 0934 La Jolla, Ca 920930934
Grant 5R01NS051661-02 from National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke IRG: CND
Abstract: Since its introduction just over a decade ago, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has rapidly become an indispensable tool for studies of the working human brain. The vast majority of fMRI studies utilize the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal, which reflects the hemodynamic response to neural activity. In these studies, differences in the BOLD signal are typically interpreted as differences in neural activity. However, there is growing evidence that shifts in the baseline vascular state due to factors such as medication, age, and disease can significantly alter the amplitude and shape of the BOLD signal. These factors can increase the variability of the BOLD signal across subjects and experimental conditions and complicate the interpretation of fMRI experiments. The goal of this application is to determine whether non-invasive measures of the baseline vascular state can account for the variability in the BOLD signal that is caused by vasoactive agents and the aging process. The central hypothesis of this proposal, which is supported by strong preliminary data, is that a normalized measure of the power in low frequency components of the BOLD signal, referred to as the 0.1 Hz spectral index, can be used to probe the baseline vascular state and can account for a significant fraction of the variability in the BOLD response. The aims of this proposal are to (1) evaluate the ability of the 0.1 Hz spectral index and other measures of the baseline vascular state to account for the variability in the BOLD response caused by vasoactive agents, and (2) evaluate the ability of these measures to account for age-related variability in the BOLD response. These aims will be achieved using (1) studies that assess the impact of caffeine and hypercapnia on the baseline vascular state and the BOLD response and (2) studies that characterize the baseline vascular state and the BOLD response in young (20 to 45 years old) and old (65 to 95 years old) subjects. Relevance to Public Health The proposed studies are expected to provide the knowledge necessary for the application of the 0.1 Hz spectral index to the improved interpretation of fMRI studies. For example, once the predictive capability of the 0.1 Hz spectral index is demonstrated, it could be applied to studies evaluating the efficacy of various medications for mental illness. By enabling investigators to assess whether medication-related changes in the BOLD response reflect changes in neural activity or are primarily a reflection of the vascular effects of the medication, the 0.1 Hz spectral index would allow investigators to more effectively determine which medications are likely to be of clinical value.
Keywords: functional magnetic resonance imaging, indexing, aging, arteriole, blood volume, brain, brain circulation, caffeine, carbon dioxide, conditioning, elasticity, experience, human, hypercapnia, lead, mental disorder, model, oxygen, public health, reduction, vasoactive agent, clinical research
Project start date: 2006-08-15
Project end date: 2009-03-31
5R01NS051661-02 (2007): $270035
1R01NS051661-01A2 (2006): $278100
5R01NS051661-03 (2008): $270035
FEDERATED DATABASE, PROTOCOLS, AND TOOLS FOR ARTERIAL SPIN LABELING CBF MEASURES
Thomas T Liu, Assoc. Professor Of Radiology
University Of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr, Dept 0934, La Jolla, Ca 92093-0934
Grant 5R01MH084796-02 from National Institute Of Mental Health
Abstract: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) is an important physiological quantity that reflects the delivery of blood to the brain. Measures of CBF can play a critical role in furthering our understanding of how the brain is altered by factors such as disease, age, and medication. In addition, there is a growing appreciation that changes in baseline CBF can significantly alter the amplitude and shape of the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal that is measured in most functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of the brain. As a result, a growing number of NIH-funded fMRI studies are obtaining measures of baseline CBF as part of their protocols. These measures are typically obtained using arterial spin labeling (ASL), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method that can provide quantitative measures of CBF in a relatively short amount of time (less than 10 minutes) without the need for external contrast agents. The increasing number of NIH-funded research studies acquiring ASL CBF measures presents a unique opportunity to create a comprehensive database of CBF measures spanning multiple groups and sites. The size and diversity of the combined data would greatly facilitate efforts to extend our understanding of how CBF varies with disease, age, race, ethnic origin, and medical treatment. The overall goal of this project is to create a comprehensive database of CBF measures that will allow investigators to share, analyze, mine, and interpret cerebral blood flow measures from multiple studies and sites. To achieve this goal we propose to build upon the infrastructure of the Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN). The specific aims of the proposal are as follows (1) Extend the BIRN Data Repository (BDR) to include a shared database of cerebral blood flow measures and associated data from a broad range of studies that are already funded by the NIH or other agencies. This aim will utilize and extend BIRN infrastructure tools, such as the Storage Resource Broker (SRB) for data storage and the Human Imaging Database (HID) environment for the storage, querying, and browsing of subject and image metadata. (2) Standardize protocols and tools for acquisition of ASL data. To ensure the quality of the data submitted to the database, we propose to implement and disseminate a comprehensive set of standardized scan protocols and quality assurance procedures to guide the correct acquisition of the CBF measures and facilitate the analysis and interpretation of the data. The proposed database will provide investigators across the country with the ability to study how cerebral blood flow varies across a wide range of health conditions and populations. The size and diversity of the database will enable studies that might not otherwise be possible at a single research site. These studies are expected to lead to a better understanding of how measures of cerebral blood flow can advance the diagnosis and treatment of disease
Keywords: AIDS Dementia; AIDS Dementia Complex; AIDS with dementia; AIDS-related dementia; Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome related dementia; Age; Alzheimer; Alzheimer disease; Alzheimer sclerosis; Alzheimer syndrome; Alzheimer`s; Alzheimer`s Disease; Alzheimers Dementia; Alzheimers disease; Amentia; Biomedical Informatics Research Network; Blood; Blood flow; Brain; CBF; Cell Communication and Signaling; Cell Signaling; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Collaborations; Communities; Contrast Agent; Contrast Drugs; Contrast Media; Core-Binding Factor; Country; D-Glucose; Data; Data Banks; Data Bases; Data Quality; Data Set; Data Storage and Retrieval; Databank, Electronic; Databanks; Database, Electronic; Databases; Dataset; Dementia; Dementia Complex, AIDS-Related; Dementia Complex, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; Dementia Due to HIV Disease; Dementia associated with AIDS; Dementia in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease; Dementia, Alzheimer Type; Dementia, Primary Senile Degenerative; Dementia, Senile; Dependence; Development; Dextrose; Diagnosis; Disease; Disorder; Drugs; Educational process of instructing; Encephalon; Encephalons; Ensure; Environment; Ethnic Origin; Ethnicity; Ethnicity aspects; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Funding; Gender; Generations; Glucose; Goals; HIV Dementia; HIV associated dementia; HIV-1 associated dementia; HIV-1 dementia; HIV-Associated Cognitive Motor Complex; HIV-related dementia; Health; Human; Human, General; Image; Infrastructure; Institutes; Institution; Intracellular Communication and Signaling; Investigators; Lead; MR Imaging; MR Tomography; MRI; MRI, Functional; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan; Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Functional; Man (Taxonomy); Man, Modern; Measures; Medical; Medical Imaging, Magnetic Resonance / Nuclear Magnetic Resonance; Medication; Metabolic; Metadata; Methods; Mining; Minings; NIH; NMR Imaging; NMR Tomography; National Institutes of Health; National Institutes of Health (U.S.); Nervous System, Brain; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging; O element; O2 element; Oxygen; Pb element; Performance; Pharmaceutic Preparations; Pharmaceutical Preparations; Physiologic; Physiological; Play; Population; Primary Senile Degenerative Dementia; Procedures; Process; Protocol; Protocols documentation; Public Health; Race; Racial Group; Radiopaque Media; Research; Research Infrastructure; Research Personnel; Research Resources; Researchers; Resources; Reticuloendothelial System, Blood; Role; Sampling; Scanning; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenic Disorders; Shapes; Signal Transduction; Signal Transduction Systems; Signaling; Site; Spin Labels; Stocks, Racial; Study Subject; Teaching; Technical Expertise; Time; United States National Institutes of Health; Work; Zeugmatography; biological signal transduction; biomarker; blood oxygen level dependent; cerebral blood flow; cerebral circulation; cerebrocirculation; clinical data repository; clinical data warehouse; data repository; data retrieval; data storage; dementia of the Alzheimer type; dementia praecox; disease/disorder; drug/agent; experience; experiment; experimental research; experimental study; fMRI; federated computing; heavy metal Pb; heavy metal lead; imaging; imaging modality; improved; meetings; novel; primary degenerative dementia; prospective; public health medicine (field); public health relevance; quality assurance; relational database; research study; schizophrenic; senile dementia of the Alzheimer type; sharing data; social role; tool
Relevance: Relevance to Public Health The proposed database will provide investigators across the country with the ability to study how cerebral blood flow varies across a wide range of health conditions and populations. The size and diversity of the database will enable studies that might not otherwise be possible at a single research site. These studies are expected to lead to a better understanding of how measures of cerebral blood flow can advance the diagnosis and treatment of disease
Project start date: 2009-08-01
Project end date: 2014-06-30
Budget start date: 1-JUL-2010
Budget end date: 30-JUN-2011
PFA/PA: PAR-07-426
5R01MH084796-02 (2010): $386250
Neurovascular Factors In Functional MRI
Thomas T Liu
Radiologyuniversity Of California San Diego
Grant 2R01NS051661-04 from National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke IRG: MEDI
Project start date: 2005-04-01
Project end date: 2011-07-31