MGH Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging 2016 | Page 3

Contents
Introduction
Message From The Director .. 4
Funding Outlook Is Improving .. 5

Advances In Imaging Technology
Portable MRI? It’s Closer Than You Think .. 6
A Scanner So Small It Could Fit In The Back Of An Ambulance .. 7
Imaging The Processes Behind Gene Expression .. 8
Advancing PET Imaging With Quantitative Methods .. 9
‘GOBrain’ Protocol For MRI Makes Brain Exams More Comfortable For Patients .. 10
New Optical Imaging Tool Could Enable Portable Neuromonitoring .. 12

Focus On Clinical Applications
Probing The Underlying Biology Of Mental Illness .. 14
Improving Cancer Care With PET-MR .. 16
Newly Uncovered Pathways May Help In Treating Epilepsy .. 17
Study Paves The Way For Clinical Application Of fMRI, Opens Opportunities For Personalized
Medicine .. 18
Fighting The Opioid Epidemic With Functional Neuroimaging .. 20
New App Aids In Recovery From Opioid Addiction .. 21

New Insights Into The Brain
Marijuana And The Brain Mechanisms Of Peer Pressure .. 22
Why We Itch When Other People Scratch: An fMRI Study .. 24
Meditation Can Improve Emotional Learning .. 26
The Neuroscience Of Paying Attention (Or Not) .. 26
Does It Hurt? It May Depend On The Context .. 28
Understanding Working Memory .. 29
On Dopamine Receptors And Risk And Reward .. 29

The Martinos Center At A Glance
Publications, Research Activity, Active Grants, Personnel .. 30