Scheduled to open in Fall of 2024, the Neuroimaging Technology Research Center (NTRC) at the UCSF Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building aims to redefine the role of imaging and image-guided therapy in the diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychiatric disease.
There is growing recognition that neuropsychiatric disorders reflect dysfunction in distributed brain networks. UCSF researchers are pioneering efforts to understand this dysfunction and develop novel therapies to restore the balance of activity across affected networks. Advanced imaging to map the brain’s structural and functional connections and measure brain physiology is critical to personalize and precisely target these therapies and to measure their effects.
With two next-generation Siemens Cima.X 3T MRI scanners, advanced technology for monitoring behavior and physiology, and neuromodulation systems for transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) and magnetic stimulation (TMS), the NTRC has been designed to be at the center of this multidisciplinary effort; a place where experts in psychiatry, neurology, neuroradiology, and neurosurgery can work together to advance our understanding of neuropsychiatric disease. Located within the same building as the UCSF clinics that provide mental health services to a diverse community of both adult and pediatric patients, the NTRC is equally positioned to accelerate the translation of this research into clinical practice.
Core objectives of the NTRC
Inclusion and accessibility
The center aims to advance precision psychiatry by developing neuroimaging markers capable of reliably classifying patients into biologically meaningful groups. By building a collaborative community where methods and data are shared, the center will drive the integration of neuroimaging with dimensional approaches to neuropsychiatric disease. To accomplish this, we will need to support a diverse range of researchers and studies, including those who are new to neuroimaging.
Innovation and creativity
The center aims to push the boundaries of neuroimaging and image-guided neuro-intervention through innovation. Key goals include:
- Developing and refining advanced imaging techniques, such as multishell diffusion and multiband multiecho fMRI, that fully utilize the high-performance gradients of the Cima.X platform. This will make it possible to explore brain tissue microstructure, connectivity, and function across a range of disease states at a resolution previously achievable on only a handful of custom build human connectome scanners.
- Establishing safe methods for imaging during neuromodulation procedures, such as DBS, FUS, and TMS. This will involve optimizing techniques like BOLD fMRI, ASL, and acoustic-radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging to capture both local and global effects of neuromodulation in real time.
- Supporting the simultaneous collection of imaging, behavioral, and physiological data and the combination of these data streams for comprehensive multimodal studies.
Collaboration and translation
The center is dedicated to developing standardized and optimized pipelines for image acquisition and data processing. This will ensure that all data is quality-controlled, securely stored, and easily accessible to investigators for immediate review/analysis; it will also facilitate collaboration and data sharing both within UCSF and with external partners for multisite studies.
The center’s ultimate success will be measured by its impact on clinical practice. In partnership with Siemens and other industry leaders we will work to translate new methods for image acquisition and analysis into clinical neuroradiology practice at UCSF and beyond. By leveraging the diverse community of adult and pediatric patients who receive care at Pritzker, the center will work to become a core resource for imaging-intensive clinical trials that test the relevance of the center’s advances and facilitate rapid clinical translation of new imaging methods and image-guided interventions.
