Seminar: The Physics of Medical Imaging with Applications in Depression

Since the mid 1990s, there has been an explosion in the application of medical imaging techniques to the study of mood disorders.

In this talk, MSU alum (physics major, math and astronomy minor) Dr. Allison C. Nugent will explore the physics of each of these techniques, and give a broad overview of how these imaging techniques work in the study of depression. 

She will first discuss nuclear medicine techniques, including PET and SPECT, based upon the decay of radioactive isotopes introduced into the body. Next, she will examine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the many techniques developed which harness this technology. 

Techniques in electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) will also be discussed, both of which measure the electric and magnetic fields generated by brain activity. The promises and caveats of each technique will be included, as well as ways in which these techniques have been used in her own research and in her work as director of neuroimaging research at the National Institute of Mental Health. 

Free