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Hybrid PET/MRI (3T)
The Lawson Research Institute is home to Canada’s first next-generation PET/MRI scanner: the Siemens BIOGRAPH One. This state-of-the-art system offers dramatically increased PET sensitivity, greater spatial coverage, and fully integrated 3T MRI, enabling unprecedented insight into brain physiology in health and disease!
Helios
Helios is the Greek god of the sun. This optical system allows the measurement of cerebral blood flow, oxygen saturation, and metabolism. The system allows for depth-enhanced measurements through the combination of time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and multi-distance diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS). Combining the blood flow and oxygen saturation allows non-invasive measurements of the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen or CMRO2. Our group has used this system for investigating blood flow regulation in healthy volunteers, mild-cognitive impairment patients, as well as during shoulder surgery. Helios also allows for dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) NIRS for absolute quantification of cerebral blood flow.
Lower-Body Negative Pressure (LBNP)
Through collaboration with Dr. Kevin Shoemaker's lab, we have access to an MRI-compatible LBNP system. This system induces orthostatic hypotension by creating a negative pressure around the lower limbs of participants. Blood volume is then redistributed to the area of lower pressure (i.e. the lower limbs).
Theia and Theia 2
Theia (Θεία) is the Greek goddess of light. We built Theia and Theia 2 in collaboration with other labs in alignment with their specific research needs (including Dr. Kevin Shoemaker). Both systems are equipped with a time-resolved NIRS system (PioNIRS) and a multi-channel DCS system.
Neonatal NeuroMonitoring (NNeMO)
The NNeMo is an in-house-built brain monitoring system that is capable of simultaneous measurement of cerebral perfusion, tissue saturation, and oxygen metabolism at the bedside by combining two optical techniques. Broadband near-infrared spectroscopy (B-NIRS) uses near-infrared light to measure absorption properties of tissue that can be used to estimate the concentrations of oxy and deoxyhemoglobin, from which the cerebral tissue saturation can be calculated. B-NIRS can also provide a direct measurement of cerebral metabolism by monitoring absorption changes in the oxidation state of cytochrome c oxidase (oxCCO), which is directly related to mitochondrial ATP production in the electron transport chain. Diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) provides continuous monitoring of blood flow by analyzing dynamic light scatter from red blood cells. Our group has used this system in the neonatal intensive care unit as well as in the cardiac surgery suite.
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