Available Technologies

Executive Summary

Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, has revolutionized non-invasive diagnostic methods used in modern medicine. Furthermore, functional MRI (fMRI) has allowed researchers and technicians to observe neuron activity directly by monitoring blood oxygen levels within small areas of the brain. However, steady states of activity must be established prior to analysis, and even then noise of typical physiological functions can contribute to significant error in fMRI analysis. This technology is a novel statistical analysis of neuronal activity that determines areas of the brain that show highly correlated neuron function.

Description of Technology

This MSU-developed method allows for superior modeling and analysis of neuronal function within the brain using fMRI. The technique analyzes neuronal activity to compare voxels of neurons to one-another. This method identifies correlated neuronal activity that we call Functional Core Areas (FCA). FCAs are an area of collective neural activity with uniform variation. These FCAs help distinguish correlated neuron function in all brain activity states without requiring measuring the brain while performing specific tasks. This new brain correlation information ultimately provides new insights into brain function.

Key Benefits

• Testing speed increase
• Streamlined processing of neurological data
• New possible research methods

Applications

• Research Functional Core Areas of the brain
• Diagnostic tool in clinical use

Patent Status:

Patent pending

Licensing Rights Available

Full licensing rights available

Inventors:

Jie Haung

Tech ID:

TEC2016-0136