The following is a guest blog post by Gary Boas, Director of Radiology Research Communication at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Boas’ work focuses on communicating the scientific discoveries that happen behind the doors of the imaging/radiology department to a broad audience. In his free time, he likes to spend time building out his Tiki bar.

“Here in the Department of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, we are passionate about using imaging to study the brain. So we can’t help but embrace Brain Awareness Week (March 13-19)—a ‘global campaign to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science.’

“We could never fit all of our brain imaging research into a single, brief post, but here are three studies to give you a sense of the the work we’re doing to better understand the brain.”

Researchers in the Center for Systems Biology (CSB) have developed a machine learning algorithm that detects signs of Alzheimer’s disease by analyzing routine brain scans with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). With further development, this could be utilized for early detection of Alzheimer’s, opening the door to earlier treatment and better patient outcomes.

In a recent study, the algorithm identified patients with Alzheimer’s with 92% accuracy, and those who would develop Alzheimer’s within two years with 98% accuracy.

“This is one of the only studies that used routinely collected brain MRIs to attempt to detect dementia,” said Matthew Leming, PhD, a research fellow at the CSB and lead author of the paper.

“While a large number of deep learning studies for Alzheimer’s detection from brain MRIs have been conducted, this study made substantial steps towards actually performing this in real-world clinical settings as opposed to perfect laboratory settings.

“Our results make a strong case for clinical use of this diagnostic technology.”

Researchers in the Frontotemporal Disorders (FTD) Unit in the Mass General Department of Neurology are leveraging imaging findings from “superagers”—older adults whose brains avoid the normal atrophy associated with aging—in exploring novel therapies for dementia.

The FTD Unit is affiliated with the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging.

“Superagers are an elite group of older adults. They show remarkable resilience against age-related memory decline,” said Alexandra Touroutoglou, PhD, director of imaging operations in the FTD Unit.

“From them, we can better understand who may be vulnerable to memory decline and who may be more resilient towards it.

“Studying superagers can also inform our strategies to prevent and develop effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.”

While research in recent years has shown that there is a neurological basis to the so-called “placebo effect,” the mechanisms of the phenomenon have largely remained a mystery.

Now, researchers in the Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, in collaboration with colleagues at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre at the University of Toronto, have identified regions of the brain activated by the placebo effect.

Several of the regions overlap with areas associated with depression.

The findings have a host of important implications, said Emiliano Santarnecchi, PhD, director of the Precision Neuroscience & Neuromodulation Program at the Gordon Center and senior author of the study.

“We think this is an important starting point for understanding the placebo effect in general, and learning how to modulate and harness it, including using it as a potential therapeutic tool by intentionally activating brain regions of the placebo network to elicit positive effects on symptoms.”

About the Mass General Research Institute
Research at Massachusetts General Hospital is interwoven through more than 30 different departments, centers and institutes. Our research includes fundamental, lab-based science; clinical trials to test new drugs, devices and diagnostic tools; and community and population-based research to improve health outcomes across populations and eliminate disparities in care.
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