ISMRM Workshop on Functional MRI: Emerging Techniques & New Interpretations

The purpose of the workshop is to inform researchers and clinicians interested in brain imaging about latest advances in the development and application of MR techniques to probe brain function. Participants are expected to gain knowledge that will allow them to use state-of-the-art imaging and analysis methods, determine the most appropriate interpretation of the results, be aware of emerging techniques, and enable the development of new applications.

New evidence and understanding on neurovascular coupling which forms the neurobiological basis of functional MRI will be examined. New imaging acquisition methods, in particular high-field imaging and fast imaging techniques will be reviewed. Emerging physiological MR methods, including oxygen extraction fraction and cerebral metabolic rate, which can provide a quantitative assessment of brain function will be presented. The accuracy of fMRI in encoding and decoding neural signal on a personalized level will be discussed. Unsolved problems and urgent needs from the perspectives of neuroscientists and clinicians will be discussed.

The workshop will feature invited scientific presentations, proffered papers, and poster sessions. A Young Investigator Award for which students and post-doctoral fellows are eligible will be awarded based on the quality of the presented work and presentation.

The interdisciplinary faculty and broad audience will ensure that technologies and methodologies are communicated and shared between radiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, neurosurgeons, neuroscientists, physicists, engineers, physiologists, trainees, and technologists.