Sodium MRI to measure brain sodium in mild traumatic brain injury
Official title: Optimized Sodium MR Imaging at Clinical Field Strength to Study in vivo Sodium Signal in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Funded at New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11308698 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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 start | April 25, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $685,585 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS131458-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11308698 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with recent or past mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) who can undergo MRI scans and follow study procedures would be ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
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.
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.
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 gone: 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 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
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A High-Tech Look Inside the Brain with Diffusion MRI
Researchers are using advanced brain imaging to find biological clues in people who have mild traumatic brain injuries.
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Neurobehavioral effects of childhood brain injuries and addiction risk in twins
This grant studies how mild traumatic brain injury in childhood might influence behavior and the chance of developing addictive behaviors later in life, using twins to understand what’s due to injury versus other factors.
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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.