Main goals

The Support Center of Advanced Neuroimaging (SCAN) is a multidisciplinary imaging laboratory that hosts MR-physicists, computer engineers, neuroradiologists, neurologists and psychologists who focus on sequence development, postprocessing and clinical validation of advanced and functional neuroimaging technologies at the Neurocenter of the Inselspital.

Group members and their position

C.Kiefer PhD. MR-Physicist Neurodegeneratiev Disorders
J. Slotboom. PhD MR-Physicist Brain Tumors
C. Rummel PhD Physicist Epilepsy
E. Abela Researcher EEG/fMRI & Epilepsy
C. Weisstanner Researcher Coma & Epilepsy
N. Porz/ UP Knecht Researcher Neurooncology
A. Seiler Researcher Vascular Disorders & Sleep
B. Weder: Senior Researcher

Previous and current research

Investigation of BOLD correlates of epileptiform EEG-signals in clinically well-defined epilepsy syndromes such as absence epilepsy or mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis. The aim of this line of investigation is not only to achieve a more complete syndromic description, but to unravel pathophysiological mechanisms that could lead to a deeper understanding of epileptogenesis and perhaps even to a more refined, evidence-based classification of the epilepsies as disorders that affect the whole brain rather than only a circumscribed area in the brain.

Localization of epileptogenic foci during the presurgical work-up of pediatric and adult patients that suffer from pharmacoresistant epilepsies.  Here, the focus is on localization of the seizure-onset zone, and simultaneous EEG-fMRI has proven valuable even if no epileptogenic lesion can be detected by conventional MRI protocols.

Future projects

The efforts of the SCAN focus on the development and validation of new MRI approaches in order to characterize typical early indicators for the onset of neurodegenerative disorders. New methods under investigation are magnetization transfer (MT) and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM).Multiparametric and quantitative classification of neurological disorders.

Techniques / methods

MRI, EEG

Equipment

Four MR scanners (Filed strenght 1.5 & 3 T), MR-compatible 96-ch EEG system

Selected publications

Rummel C, Zubler C, Schroth G, Gralla J, Hsieh K, Abela E, Hauf M, Meier N, Verma RK, Andres R, Nirkko AC,  Wiest R. Monitoring cerebral oxygenation during balloon occlusion with multichannel NIRS. JCBFM e pub (2013)
Wiest R., Burren Y, Hauf M., Schroth G., Pruesner J, Zbinden M., Cattapan-Ludewig C, Kiefer C. Classification of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer Disease Using Model-based MR and Magetization Transfer Imaging. AJNR  34:740-6 (2013)
Wiest R , Estermann L, Scheidegger O, Rummel C, Jann K, Seeck M, Schindler K, Hauf M. Widespread grey matter changes and hemodynamic correlates to interictal epileptiform discharges in pharmacoresistant mesial temporal epilepsy. J Neurol. 260:1601-10. (2013)

Selected lectures, seminars, colloquia

Lecturer Advanced Neuroimaging (Medical School)
Lecturer Biological Psychology (Phil-Hum.)
Teaching courses MRI for practitioners

Funding

Currently 4 SNF, 1 EU (FP-7), and 3 peer reviewed funding sources