RG Translational Imaging

The Research Group Translational Imaging belongs to the Department of Neuroimaging and to the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. Its goal is to establish and optimize translational imaging at a high field 9.4T animal scanner.

Bridging the gap between preclinical and clinical research is essential for the development in psychiatric research. We want to realize this step via Translational Imaging. In the preclinical part there currently exist excellent and well validated genetic and behavioral animal models for alcohol dependency, depression, dementia and other psychiatric illnesses. E.g. we use genetic animal models of psychiatric diseases by means of breeding or specific elimination of individual genes for intermediate endophenotyping. With the use of high-field MRI we take advantage of a tool that enables multiple intra-individual measurements and therefore the direct quantification of gene x environment x therapy interactions on brain function.

Specific research foci are establishment and optimization of optogenetic fMRI (og-fMRI), functional measurements of brain function like resting-state fMRI, cASL, rCBV, multi nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of 1H, 13C and 31P , voxel based morphometry (VBM), and fiber-tracking with DTI. Furthermore, multiple surface-, volume-, multi array and two cryo-coils (1H and 13C) are available.