Imaging brain changes over time in progressive supranuclear palsy
Official title: Longitudinal multi-modal imaging in progressive supranuclear palsy syndromes
Funded at Mayo Clinic Rochester · NIH-11299639 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses repeated brain scans to track disease-related changes over time in people with progressive supranuclear palsy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2015 |
| Project end | January 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $3,746,535 |
| NIH project number | 2R37NS089757-11A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11299639 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy or related PSP clinical syndromes who can travel to clinic visits for repeated MRI/PET scans and blood draws.
✕Less likely to help
People without PSP, those with contraindications to high-field MRI (for example certain implants), or those unable to travel repeatedly to Rochester likely would not benefit or be eligible.
What this research studies
You would have repeated brain imaging and blood tests over time to see how PSP affects small brainstem and subcortical regions. The team uses multiple scan types, including high-field 7T MRI to measure iron (QSM) and neuromelanin-sensitive MRI to look at dopamine-related loss, plus prior PET measures of tau and structural MRI. Researchers will compare those imaging signals with changes in brain connectivity, clinical symptoms, and blood biomarkers across different PSP clinical subtypes. The goal is to map how these brain changes relate to symptom worsening and possible markers that could be followed in future trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could improve monitoring of disease progression and help identify imaging and blood markers useful for earlier diagnosis or future treatment trials.
How similar studies have gone: Prior imaging work has shown tau PET uptake and brain atrophy in PSP, but combining longitudinal 7T QSM, neuromelanin imaging, connectivity measures, and blood biomarkers over time is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Mayo Clinic Rochester
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Whitwell, Jennifer Louise — Mayo Clinic Rochester
- Study coordinator: Whitwell, Jennifer Louise
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.