Join us for the next event in the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research's (I³R) fall 2024 Speaker Series featuring two talks on imaging followed by an open house of the I³R's state-of-the-art MRI suite in its new innovation hub, opening later this year.

Talks from 4:00-5:00 p.m. (Mullins Library, #453) | Dr. Steffen Sammet, M.D., Ph.D., DABR, DABMRS, FAMP, Professor of Radiology and Medical Physics at the University of Chicago and Dr. Martin P. Paulus, M.D., Scientific Director and President of the Laureate Institute for Brain Research at the University of Tulsa will present their research on brian imagining and MRI-guided therapy.

Open House (RSVP Required) from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the I³R Building (793 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville, AR 72701) | Get a sneak peek of Siemens' most advanced scanner, the Magnetom Cima.X 3T MRI, and learn how the newly complete MRI suite can facilitate groundbreaking research and expand access to advanced imaging capabilities in Arkansas.

This event is sponsored by the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research.

To join the speaker series talks via zoom remotely:

Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://uark.zoom.us/j/81388182388?pwd=dU46bVLbCS8CPbPRhTUK6teaWiw2t5.1

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Guided Therapy: High Intensity Focused Ultrasound Therapy and Drug Delivery with MRI Guidance | Steffen Sammet, M.D., Ph.D., DABR, DABMRS, FAMP

Summary: This presentation will demonstrate recent advancements in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) guided therapy with a focus on high-intensity focused ultrasound. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) therapy is a therapeutic modality that uses ultrasound waves as carriers of energy. HIFU is used to focus a beam of ultrasound energy into a small volume at specific target locations within the body. The focused beam causes localized high temperatures and produces well-defined regions of necrosis. This completely noninvasive technology has great potential for tumor ablation and targeted drug delivery.

An introduction on ultrasound physics, safety, current ultrasound technology, and an overview of the state-of-the art in ultrasound treatment will be given. Principles of HIFU, diagnostic ultrasound and MRI guidance, therapy planning and simulation, and an overview of the current and potential future applications will be included. The focus of this presentation will be on configurations, clinical applications, and demonstrations of the therapeutic procedure. The clinical potential of nanotechnology-based targeted drug delivery with HIFU will also be shown.

Screen Media Activity, Brain Structure, and Psychopathology in Youth: Insights from the ABCD Study | Martin P. Paulus, M.D. 

Summary: The increasing prevalence of screen media activity (SMA) among youth raises important questions about its impact on brain development, cognitive functioning, and mental health. In this presentation, Dr. Paulus will explore the complex relationships between SMA, brain structural development, and psychopathology in youth, drawing from the extensive Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.  In our functional studies, the team identified a thalamus-prefrontal cortex-brainstem structural covariation pattern that is strongly linked to SMA and externalizing behaviors. This pattern suggests a neurodevelopmental mechanism that may contribute to addiction vulnerability, highlighting the importance of understanding these structural changes during adolescence.

In another study, they addressed the distribution of activities among youth, particularly challenging the displacement hypothesis, which suggests that SMA reduces engagement in other recreational activities. Findings indicate that socio-economic status, rather than SMA itself, plays a more significant role in determining youth participation in activities like sports and the arts. These insights emphasize the importance of considering broader socio-economic factors in discussions about youth engagement with digital media. Moreover, additional neuroimaging analyses revealed bidirectional associations between SMA and sleep duration, with externalizing behaviors predicting future sleep problems, increased SMA engagement, and internalizing symptoms. These findings point to the complex interactions between brain function, behavior, and media use, underscoring the potential for sleep and activity interventions to mitigate adverse outcomes.

Finally, the team recently published comprehensive reviews of the current literature highlight both the opportunities and gaps in their understanding of SMA's impact on brain development and mental health. Future research should focus on refining these insights, considering individual and environmental factors, and developing targeted interventions to support healthy development in the digital age.