Northeastern University psychology and pharmaceutical sciences professor Craig Ferris has spent decades doing groundbreaking research using brain imaging.
Now, a new device will help him unlock even further developments, including new treatments for brain injuries
Ferris’ lab recently obtained a Mediso nanoScan 7T PET/MRI scanner, the first of its kind in the United States. The machine combines PET and MRI technology, allowing researchers to do both scans at once for better preclinical imaging.
“I don’t know of any combined magnetic resonance imaging and PET imaging being done in preclinical research in the Boston area,” says Ferris, whose research focuses on behavioral neuroscience and disease progression in psychiatric and neurological disorders. “It’s better technology than what we presently have. It’s the first of its kind, combining MRI technology with PET imaging.”
MRIs provide images of onsoft tissue structure, while PET scans use tracers that attach to a certain part of the body to show its function. What distinguishes this device is that it combines both functions to allow scientists to view different aspects of the brain at the same time.
Read more at Northeastern Global News
Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University
