bruce@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu

Dr. Rosen's research interest addresses how functional imaging tools can be applied to solve specific biological and clinical problems. The techniques he and his colleagues have developed in the area of “functional” imaging — that is, magnetic resonance images of the brain in which areas having some functional activity (e.g., visual cortex) are highlighted by receiving increased blood flow —are being used by hospitals throughout the world to evaluate patients with stroke, brain tumors, dementia, and other mental illness. Recently his work has focused on the fusion of fMRI data with information from other modalities, including very high temporal resolution signals using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and noninvasive optical imaging. By using fMRI tools to evaluate the linkage between neuronal and physiological (metabolic and hemodynamic) events during periods of increased neuronal activity, his studies will allow researchers to improve their ability to interpret fMRI signal changes, and develop new ways of probing brain function, including "event related" fMRI studies.