Title: Recent Advances in Perfusion MRI: From Neuro-oncology to Neurodegeneration
Speaker: Ashley Stokes, PhD
The Department of Medical Imaging is pleased to have Ashley Stokes, PhD, presenting at our Grand Rounds on Wednesday, April 3rd, at 12:00 pm in the College of Medicine, Room 2117.
Dr. Stokes received her Ph.D. in Chemistry at Duke University, under the mentorship of Professor Warren S. Warren. Her dissertation broadly encompassed the development of advanced MRI methods for improving signal and contrast for biomedical imaging. Dr. Stokes went on to complete a post-doctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, under the mentorship of Dr. Chad Quarles. While at Vanderbilt, Dr. Stokes was involved in the development of quantitative MRI biomarkers to interrogate vascularity, cellularity, metabolism, and oxygenation for neuro-oncology. While at Vanderbilt, she developed and validated new acquisition and analysis methods for perfusion MRI to provide robust quantitative hemodynamic measures. She was recruited to the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) in November 2015 as part of the new Barrow Neuroimaging Innovation Center. At the BNI, her research focuses on developing, validating, and translating advanced magnetic resonance (MR) image acquisition and analysis methods to noninvasively assess neurological diseases and disorders. Ongoing research projects in the Stokes Laboratory include the development of imaging biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and brain tumors.
Abstract: The development and validation of imaging biomarkers could improve diagnosis and treatment for many neurological diseases. In particular, advanced MRI biomarkers may provide valuable insight into multiple distinct pathophysiological characteristics, such as altered vascularity, cellularity, metabolism, and oxygenation. To quantify these changes, the development of advanced acquisition and analysis approaches is essential. In this talk, she will discuss her work in the development of advanced perfusion imaging methods, which are particularly advantageous in pathologies associated with deleterious vascular changes, including brain tumors. Dr. Stokes will demonstrate their progress in developing diffusion and perfusion biomarkers that may be indicative of early changes along the pathological cascade of Alzheimer’s disease. Finally, she will highlight their work in assessing macro- and microvascular perfusion changes in multiple sclerosis. Using advanced MRI, they can provide a more complete basis for understanding various neuropathologies, including neuro-oncology, aging, and multiple sclerosis.
College of Medicine, Room 2117