Joel Lecture Series | Engineering solutions to transform how, when and where we can image the brain скачать в хорошем качестве

Joel Lecture Series | Engineering solutions to transform how, when and where we can image the brain

The last decade has seen unprecedented advances in the capability of neuroimaging technologies for studies of the human brain. Many of these advances have targeted increasingly specific investigations of brain activity and function under a range of applications. The advent of non-invasive technologies has opened up whole new horizons for how, when and where we can image the brain. During this lecture, I discuss the transformative impact of one such technology, near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), a portable, wearable and affordable optical neuroimaging technique. Engineering innovations have enabled NIRS images of brain oxygen metabolism to be acquired in infants and adults. NIRS studies of the developing brain are paving the way for early markers of autism in toddlers and following its successful implementation in resource poor settings, NIRS is now an important brain imaging tool in global health studies. With these advances comes a responsibility to understand the ethical and societal implications of increased accessibility to brain imaging and the data it generates. I will consider these issues and particularly the role played by medical physicists in guiding the appropriate use of neuroimaging technologies. The Joel Chair is the oldest established Chair in Medical Physics in the world. It is currently held by Prof Robert Speller of UCL Medical Physics & Biomedical Engineering.