About the project
Objective
This project aims to characterise the brain’s mechanical properties through Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in adolescents and older children and correlate them with risk factors for developing anxiety disorders. Our long-term goal is to characterize the brain’s mechanical properties at different ages to improve the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders in the young population. Our long-term aim is to extend this project to characterize the mechanical properties of the brain at different stages of brain development, which can be used to improve the diagnoses of various neuropsychological diseases, especially at early stages where treatments are more likely to have an effect and to track the response of patients to treatments better.
Background
Very little is currently known about the evolution of the mechanical tissue properties of the brain in the first two decades of life. Such information can be valuable in improving the diagnosis of prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders in the young population, particularly anxiety disorders. MRE in the brain is a new technique in which mechanical properties of the brain tissue are estimated non-invasively. MRE has barely been used in children. MRE for the brain is only available in a few sites worldwide. This Spring, KTH will become the only site in Sweden with this technology. This opens a tremendous strategic opportunity for KTH to take the lead in its use for brain diseases.
Crossdisciplinary collaboration
The researchers in the team represent the School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health (CBH), KTH and the Psychology Department at Stockholm University.
Watch the recorded presentation at the Digitalize in Stockholm 2023 event:
