Sodium MRI to measure brain sodium in mild traumatic brain injury
Optimized Sodium MR Imaging at Clinical Field Strength to Study in vivo Sodium Signal in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Using an improved sodium MRI scan alongside diffusion MRI to measure brain sodium in people with mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) to find imaging markers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11308698 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would get MRI scans that measure sodium in your brain as well as standard diffusion MRI so researchers can see ionic and structural changes. The team is using new scanner techniques that boost the sodium signal so these scans can be done on regular clinical MRI machines. They will compare scans from people with mild traumatic brain injury to scans from healthy volunteers to find patterns of sodium change linked to symptoms. Results may help explain why symptoms occur and point toward treatments that target sodium-related injury.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with recent or past mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) who can undergo MRI scans and follow study procedures would be ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People without a history of mild traumatic brain injury, or those who cannot have MRI (for example due to certain metal implants, pacemakers, or severe claustrophobia), are unlikely to be eligible or benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide objective imaging markers for concussion that improve diagnosis and identify new sodium-targeted treatment approaches.
How similar studies have performed: Cell and animal studies and small human studies suggest sodium changes after concussion, but clinical sodium MRI is still new and has not been widely validated in large patient groups.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- New York University School of Medicine — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lui, Yvonne W — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Lui, Yvonne W
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 below.