The Department of Radiology would like to recognize Associate Professor of Radiology and BRIC Image Analysis Core Director Pew-Thian Yap, PhD, as P.I. of a National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) grant awarded R01 funding ($2.085M) in July 2021, entitled, “Computational Diffusion MRI for Studying Early Human Brain Development.” Over five years, this project aims to equip neuroscientists with robust computational tools using diffusion MRI to accurately and specifically characterize changes during early brain development in terms of tissue microstructure and white matter pathways. 
Successfully executed, this study will produce tools specific to diffusion MRI that enhance early brain research in several ways, including: 1) Use of diffusion tractography to effectively estimate white matter pathways in the baby brain; 2) Microstructural analysis methods unconfounded by complex fiber configurations; and 3) Diffusion MRI data to be collected and harmonized at multiple sites, to conduct consistent analysis with significantly boosted statistical power to mitigate the negative effects of inter-site variability.
Collectively, the tools developed by Dr. Yap’s team enable researchers to accurately process and precisely analyze baby MR images through using diffusion MRI to chart early brain development trajectories to compare normative versus aberrant growth. The methods developed study additionally assist neuroscientists in tackling computational challenges to analyze infant diffusion MRI data collected across multiple imaging sites with potentially discrepant acquisition protocols and scanner behaviors. In the Big Data era, this study’s application of computational diffusion MRI to innovate charting of normative early brain development enhances larger-scale quantitative examination of the developing brain of children who are affected by neurological developmental disorders.
Dr. Yap noted: “This study will overcome key challenges in analyzing infant diffusion MRI data, allowing brain researchers to chart dynamic changes in tissue microstructure and brain wiring during early development of the human brain.”