Virtual Meetings

The EMTP Study Group is launching a multi-society initiative to develop a consensus paper on the current state of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) for imaging paramagnetic rim lesions (PRLs) in multiple sclerosis. The effort aims to bring together clinical and technical expertise to establish evidence-based perspectives on the role, implementation, strengths, limitations, and unmet needs of QSM in PRL imaging.

The initiative, coordinated by Ferdinand Schweser and Simon Robinson, will involve a lead author group representing different viewpoints from both the clinical MS imaging and technical QSM communities. Clinical authors will guide the clinical framing and prioritization of key questions, while technical authors will coordinate the consensus process and provide expertise on methodological and implementation challenges.

In this virtual EMTP Study Group meeting, nominated technical candidate authors will briefly introduce themselves and explain what they could bring to the initiative. After the meeting, EMTP Study Group members will select the technical lead authors through a vote.

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally transforming how computational tools are built and deployed within the MRI domain. For MRI AI/ML practitioners, shifting toward autonomous agents and high-level programming abstractions is essential for optimizing complex imaging pipelines and accelerating software development. Agentic AI transcends static, prompt-response models by introducing autonomous frameworks capable of multi-step reasoning, tool integration, and iterative quality control. These capabilities are vital for managing heterogeneous MR datasets and automated workflows. Complementing this, "vibe coding" leverages large language models (LLMs) to allow researchers to prototype intricate image reconstruction and analysis code using natural language direction rather than manual syntax writing. Understanding these paradigms empowers practitioners to rapidly translate theoretical imaging concepts into functional, scalable software.

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This inaugural virtual meeting will introduce the mission and scope of the MR of Brain Physiology & Pathophysiology Study Group, outline its major scientific priorities, and invite input from the community regarding future educational, collaborative, and scientific activities.

The scientific focus of the meeting will be oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) MRI, an important physiological imaging biomarker that reflects the balance between cerebral oxygen delivery and utilization.

Two invited speakers will discuss current methodological approaches for measuring OEF with MRI, including their underlying principles, technical challenges, validation, and opportunities for standardization. The presentations will also highlight the clinical and translational potential of OEF MRI across a range of diseases.

Functional MRI has transformed human brain mapping by enabling noninvasive visualization of brain activity. Conventional high-resolution ¹H fMRI primarily relies on hemodynamic contrast, including changes in blood oxygenation, blood flow, and blood volume. While powerful, these vascular-based signals provide an indirect readout of neuronal activity and can be influenced by neurovascular coupling, vascular pathology, and regional differences in hemodynamic response. In this presentation, Xin Yu, Ph.D., will introduce neural activity-related sodium fMRI, or NARS-fMRI, as a new functional mapping approach designed to detect neural activity-associated ionic responses more directly. By leveraging sodium MRI to capture activity-related sodium dynamics, NARS-fMRI may provide a complementary or alternative benchmark to conventional BOLD-based mapping. Dr. Yu will discuss the technical rationale, preclinical validation, and translational potential of this method for future human brain mapping applications.

This seminar will feature cutting-edge methodologies used to measure fluid movement within the central nervous system, a crucial factor in maintaining cognitive health and understanding neurodegenerative diseases. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from pioneering experts Jeffrey J. Iliff, Ph.D., and Tommi Väyrynen, M.Sc. who will present their latest research in the field. Dr. Iliff, well-known for his foundational work on the glymphatic system, and Tommi Väyrynen, an expert in advanced neuroimaging technologies, will demonstrate how combining diverse experimental and imaging modalities in neurofluids imaging.