Medical School
Twin Cities
This group is focused on uncovering the neurodevelopmental abnormalites that result from prenatal alcohol exposure. The researchers utilize structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and functional MRI including resting-state functional connectivity methods. Typically, children and adolescents, ages 10 to 18, are included in these studies. The researchers collect multiple modalities of MRI data for each participant. Analyses utilize tools from the FSL library as well as in-house software. Participant numbers are currently in the range of 800 for the group's own local MRI data, but up to 2,000 including datasets from collaborating research sites. MSI resources are essential to this work, as they allow for parallel processing of multiple datasets and efficient throughput of data. Storage is a challenge for brain imaging data and MSI provides ample space for active datasets and ongoing temporary-space-intensive processing.