Infant brain stiffness imaging using a sleep-friendly MR elastography framework
Official title: Design and Implementation of an MR Elastography-Based Framework for Measuring Brain Mechanical Properties in Infants
Funded at Columbia Univ New York Morningside · NIH-11455046 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new MRI-based method called NeoWave aims to map how young infant brains develop by measuring tissue stiffness during natural sleep.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia Univ New York Morningside NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 11, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $442,560 |
| NIH project number | 1R21HD122301-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11455046 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Infants at high risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., born prematurely or with genetic vulnerabilities) who can sleep during imaging.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy full-term infants without risk factors may not directly benefit from this imaging approach.
What this research studies
This project will adapt MR elastography to infant brains to produce whole-brain maps of mechanical properties like stiffness and damping, reflecting early brain development. It will address challenges such as hardware compatibility, noisy environments, and safety to allow sleeping infants to participate. The study combines innovative imaging hardware with sleep-friendly protocols to generate usable brain-property maps in at-risk infants. The goal is to detect subtle brain changes earlier than current imaging methods and support timely interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could enable earlier detection of neurodevelopmental issues and guide early interventions for infants at high risk.
How similar studies have gone: Previous MR elastography work in adults and children suggests promise, but infant-specific sleep-compatible imaging is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Columbia Univ New York Morningside
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcilvain, Grace — Columbia Univ New York Morningside
- Study coordinator: Mcilvain, Grace
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Anga Center for Community Health and Well-being
A community-focused program from Columbia University aims to strengthen mental health and resilience in East Africa and other at-risk communities by partnering with local centers and using evidence-based approaches.
-
Anga Center for Community Health and Well-being: building resilience to extreme weather in Africa and beyond
A program to help communities cope with the mental health effects of extreme weather by partnering with African regions and local centers to develop practical, evidence-based support.
-
A crowdsourced, survivor-led approach to boost HIV/STI/HCV testing and overdose-prevention service use for sex trafficking survivors in NYC
A NYC-based study tests a survivor-driven digital messaging approach and at-home tests to help sex trafficking survivors increase HIV/STI/HCV testing and use overdose-prevention resources.
-
How RNA binding proteins shape when and how genes are used
A research project at Columbia aims to map how RNA binding proteins interact with RNAs to control gene activity, with potential insights for diseases involving gene regulation.
-
Crowdsourced digital messaging to boost syphilis and HIV testing for women in NYC and rural Alabama
A community-driven project tests whether crowdsourced digital messages can encourage women, especially women of color and Native American women, to get syphilis, HIV, and STI tests.
-
Characterization and Rehabilitation of Jaw Movement with a Wearable 4-DOF Robotic Exoskeleton
A wearable robotic jaw exoskeleton will measure jaw motion and provide guided, multi-directional jaw forces to help people recovering from trismus.
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.