PUFFINS Brain Health Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Proving the utility of ultra-low field MRI for assessing brain health
IRAS ID
350553
Contact name
Mary Joan MacLeod
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Aberdeen
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 8 months, 29 days
Research summary
Small vessel disease (SVD) is a major cause of stroke and contributor to dementia cases. As work continues to develop new treatments to address the impact of SVD, new imaging techniques are needed to identify and track the progression of brain changes that occur with SVD.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the gold standard to diagnose poor brain health due to small vessel disease. However, current MRI systems are expensive and complex to operate, and so access is limited. Low-field MRI technology, operating at magnetic field strengths many times lower than conventional MRI, can make brain imaging much more cost-effective and accessible. However, further work is needed to develop low-field MRI towards clinically feasible assessments of brain health.
The University of Aberdeen hosts a unique network of researchers and imaging technologies that is now making it possible to test and develop different low-field MRI approaches towards solving key healthcare challenges. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of two distinct approaches, field-cycling imaging (FCI) and ultra-low field MRI (ULF-MRI), to detect brain changes linked with small vessel disease. Automated methods will be developed to analyse images and extract measurements that detect and track progression of disease severity.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - South Yorkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/YH/0053
Date of REC Opinion
20 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion