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Human imaging

Human imaging, and in particular neuroimaging, represents a major research field at UCL; indeed, about 65% of the UK’s contribution to the world’s most cited neuroimaging papers come from UCL.  A key factor is the close affiliation between UCL and its partner hospitals, including University College Hospital, the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.  Specialist clinical centres at these hospitals provide access for imaging investigations of major patient populations across all age ranges, from neonates through children to young and elderly adults.  An important outcome of this is that new technical developments can be translated rapidly and effectively into improved clinical practice. This is exemplified by ongoing research programmes in a number of major neurological disorders, including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.  Complementing these clinical applications, there are also extensive research programmes focusing on normal brain function, perhaps best exemplified by the functional neuroimaging programme at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging.  Underpinning all of this research is a critical mass of imaging scientists, cognitive neuroscientists and clinicians who, through their close working relationships, are making substantial contributions to our understanding of brain structure-function relationships in health and disease.

Investigation of tissues that undergo rapid motion poses additional challenges, but continuing technical developments, for example in rapid MRI techniques, are leading to major new applications in body imaging, most notably in the cardiovascular system.

Research centres

The Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging
Centre for Neuroimaging Techniques
Institute of Nuclear Medicine
Birkbeck-UCL Center for NeuroImaging
The Centre for Cardiovascular Imaging

Page last modified on 22 jun 11 17:47