A longitudinal study will then take place in the second and fifth year of the project, in which researchers will evaluate the progression of the disease in high-risk patients and assess the accuracy of images obtained from patients with Parkinson’s to images of healthy subjects.

“If the tests show that our fast MR strategies can successfully produce high-quality data, then we plan to further optimize the parameters to answer important research questions from challenging subject populations,” said Chen. “For example, we would like to detect subtle brain signal abnormalities in Parkinson's patients, in the early stages of the disease, using high-speed and high-resolution MR. We plan to acquire high-resolution functional MR data, reflecting neurological development, in children with and without developmental disorders.”


The techniques of the machine can also be applied to assess other neurological conditions, from Alzheimer’s disease to cerebral palsy, offering support in their diagnosis, treatment and evaluation of treatment.

The project is funded through a $2.1 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

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