New MRI machine has research mission

Currently used for osteoarthritis study, it will accommodate brain research beginning this fall.

by Wendy Y. Lawton

Biomedical research at Brown just got a big boost. Thank the $1.6-million magnet.

This month, the public got its first peek at the new 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine installed at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island's Southeastern Medical Center in Pawtucket.

The blocky behemoth (left) - which creates images of bone and soft tissue (below) - is twice as powerful as standard MRI machines. The technology will give scientists their best view yet of diseased joints, hearts and brains, a key to unlocking the mysteries behind everything from arthritis to Alzheimer's.

"The importance of this machine can't be overstated," said Charles Eaton, M.D., a professor of family medicine and the director of the University's Center for Primary Care and Prevention, which is based at Memorial. "This is really transforming in terms of what we can do in research."

The 3 Tesla MRI is the first in Rhode Island and one of only a handful in New England. The machine uses a strong magnetic field, radio waves and special software to create images of bone, fat and muscle from every angle. Although physicians typically use these pictures to diagnose health problems, the new MRI will be used only for research.

It arrived at Memorial as part of Eaton's Osteoarthritis Initiative, a five-year study that aims to find the biological sources of knee osteoarthritis, the most common cause of disability in adults. By understanding what causes osteoarthritis, and how factors such as weight and exercise play into its progression, Eaton and his team can better understand how to prevent and treat it.

Project managers are enrolling 1,250 participants in the trial. Part of the research includes scanning patients' knees and hips. Taken over time, the images will help scientists track cartilage loss, swelling and other signs of the disease. Eaton said the precision of the new MRI is critical for the project.

"Osteoarthritis is a progressive disease so you want to catch the earliest manifestation," he said. "Because this magnet is so powerful, you can also shorten the exam time for patients."

In about five years, Eaton said the machine could also be used to better diagnose artery blockage and other heart problems. But the souped-up scanner has a more immediate application: brain research.

Through a partnership with Memorial, the Brain Science Program will begin using the MRI as early as this fall. Scientists in the program have used Brown's MRI Research Facility at Memorial for years.

The new machine, however, will ratchet up the research, according John Donoghue, executive director of the Brain Science Program and the chair of the Department of Neuroscience.

That's because the new MRI will not only allow researchers to see the anatomy of the brain, but provide a clearer window into how it works. When a part of the brain is active, blood flow increases to the area - a change that the scans pick up. This will help scientists better understand how the brain controls vision, movement and language.

Donoghue said the MRI will also aid in brain chemistry research. How does the brain operate when someone is depressed or addicted to drugs or has a disease like Parkinson's? The scans could provide important clues, Donoghue said. By the end of this year, he hopes to hire a physicist who can program the machine to do this sort of work.

"The magnet is really important because it can help us map out the universe of the brain," Donoghue said. "This is a big step forward."