LABORATORY FOR ADVANCED MRS RESEARCH

Current research in our laboratory focuses on the development of advanced magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and imaging (MRI) methods for application in clinical and biomedical research. Our goal is to develop noninvasive and objective MRI- and MRS-based biomarkers of neurological, neuropsychiatric and metabolic disorders that would advance our  understanding of their pathophysiology,  facilitate their diagnosis and enable monitoring of their response to established or emerging therapeutic interventions. Examples of current projects include MRS measurements of levels of the neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in pediatric and adult depression and in schizophrenia.  We are also using MRS to measure brain lactic acid, the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), several high-energy phosphates (e.g. ATP, PCr), and other metabolites in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), mitochondrial disorders,  Parkinson’s disease, and brain and breast cancers.