John Georgiadis, PhDChair of the Department of Biomedical EngineeringR.A. Pritzker Professor of Biomedical EngineeringIllinois Institute of TechnologyHost: Professor Todd Parrish*Location: Daniel Hale Williams Auditorium, Chicago Campus

Title:"Quantitative MRI of Human Brain and Muscle via Mechanics"

Abstract:The explosive development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is primarily due to its non-invasiveness, its ability to exploit a multitude of contrast mechanisms, and the cross-pollination of ideas from basic science, technology, and medicine it affords its user. This seminar focuses on our use of proton-MRI to probe the human muscular and central nervous system in vivo. Two "firsts" are highlighted. We used Diffusion Tensor Imaging to link the effect of nutrition or exercise on the histoarchitecture and function of leg muscles in obese older women at risk for disability. We have also reported the highest resolution mapping of viscoelastic properties of the healthy human brain using Magnetic Resonance Elastography. The common thread through these investigations is the judicious coupling between theory and experiment in the pursuit of explaining rather than merely validating or modeling. The progress made in these projects highlights the role of quantitative imaging and non-invasive mechanical