Scientists have already used MRI scanners to demonstrate that when the brain recognizes particular things, such as faces, places or words, two regions of the cerebral cortex are activated.
The 11.7 Tesla power will help Iseult “better understand the relationship between brain structure and cognitive functions, for example when we read a book or perform a mental calculation,” said Nicolas Boulant, the project’s scientific director.
– In the wake of Alzheimer’s –
The researchers hope that the power of the scanner will also shed light on the hidden mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, or psychological problems such as depression or schizophrenia.
“For example, we know that a specific area of the brain, the hippocampus, is involved in Alzheimer’s disease, so we hope to be able to discover how cells in this part of the cerebral cortex work,” said CEA researcher Anne-Isabelle Etienvre.
Scientists also hope to map how certain medications used to treat bipolar disorder, such as lithium, are distributed throughout the brain.
