7T MRI Human Neuroimaging Projects

All 7 Tesla imaging studies are conducted by 7TBRP personnel and performed using the Tac G2 or Tag G2+Head and Neck Coil Systems (60 transmit channels and 32 receive channels) and/or the RAPID Biomed dual-tuned 31P/1H Head Coil, if applicable. 

We also perform 7T image processing and analysis on the majority of our studies.

Recent Publications

  1. Diniz E, Santini T, Karim H, Aizenstein HJ, Ibrahim TS. Cross-Modality Image Translation of 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging to 7 Tesla Using Generative Adversarial Networks. Hum Brain Mapp. 2025 Jun 15;46(9):e70246. doi: 10.1002/hbm.70246. PMID: 40545512; PMCID: PMC12182983.
  2. Sajewski AN, Santini T, DeFranco A, Berardinelli J, Jin H, Li J, Chu C, Berardo JJ, Ibrahim TS. RF shimming strategy for an open 60-channel RF transmit 7T MRI head coil for routine use on the single transmit mode. Magn Reson Med. 2025 May 20. doi: 10.1002/mrm.30563. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40391665.
  3. Chu C, Santini T, Liou JJ, Cohen AD, Maki PM, Marsland AL, Thurston RC, Gianaros PJ, Ibrahim TS. Brain Morphometrics Correlations With Age Among 350 Participants Imaged With Both 3T and 7T MRI: 7T Improves Statistical Power and Reduces Required Sample Size. Hum Brain Mapp. 2025 Mar;46(4):e70195. doi: 10.1002/hbm.70195. PMID: 40083197; PMCID: PMC11907059.

Active Studies

Award NumberPI Last Name and University of Pittsburgh DepartmentProject Title with Link to NIH RePORTER
NIH-R01AG063525Ibrahim  
Bioengineering
Imaging Advancements in Small Vessel and CSF Flow Pathophysiology of Pre-clinical Alzheimer’s Disease
NIH-T32MH119168Ibrahim 
Bioengineering
Bioengineering in Psychiatry Training Program
NIH-R56AG074467Multi-site/Multi-PI 
Ibrahim 
Bioengineering
SARS-CoV-2 and Precursors of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: An Ultrahigh Field (7T) MRI Study in a Diverse Multinational Cohort
NIH-U24NS141780Kofler Pathology (Ibrahim MPI)Multimodal in Vivo and Postmortem Analysis of ARIA-Relevant Pathophysiology
NIH-K01DC019421Sitek
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Investigating Human Non-Lemniscal Inferior Colliculus Contributions to Auditory Learning with 7T MRI
NIH-R01MH125846Smagula 
Psychiatry
Morning Activation Deficits and Depression Symptoms: Mechanisms and Modifiability in Dementia Caregivers
NIH-R01AG053504Thurston 
Psychiatry
Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms and Brain Aging in Women
NIH-R01MH126979Ladouceur 
Psychiatry
Puberty-Related Development of Fronto-Amygdala Circuitry in Anxious Youth: A Multimodal Neuroimaging Study with Ultra-High Resolution MRI Scanner (7T)
NIH-R37AG023651 (MERIT)Ganguli 
Psychiatry
Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Prospective Community Study.
NIH-R01AG025516Aizenstein 
Psychiatry
Roles of Gray Matter Brain Aging and Small Vessel Disease in AD Pathophysiology
NIH-U19AG068054 Handen 
Psychiatry
Alzheimer’s Biomarker Consortium – Down Syndrome (ABC – DS)
NIH-K01AG075171Lehrer 
Psychiatry
Characterizing Alzheimer’s Risk in Retired Night Shift Workers: Cognitive Function, Brain Volume, and Brain Bioenergetics
NIH-K01MH122741Karim    
Psychiatry
Machine Learning Models for Identifying Neural Predictors of TMS Treatment Response in MDD
NIH-K23MH125074Gujral
Psychiatry
Aerobic Exercise for Optimizing Cognitive and Brain Health in Remitted Late-Life Depression 
NIH-R35GM146822 Vogt 
Anesthesiology
Neuroimaging to identify the Neural Correlates of Anesthetic and Analgesic Action in Humans
NIH-P01AG025204 IBM CoreCohen 
Psychiatry
The Role of Astrogliosis in Aging and the Pathological and Clinical Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
NIH-P01AG025204 Project 3Cohen 
Psychiatry
The Role of Astrogliosis in Aging and the Pathological and Clinical Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
NIH-P01AG025204 Project 4Cohen 
Psychiatry
The Role of Astrogliosis in Aging and the Pathological and Clinical Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
NIH-R01MH108509Andreescu 
Psychiatry
The RAW Brain – The Effect of Rumination, Anxiety, and Worry on Aging and Dementia Risk
NIH- R01AG080565Berman 
Neurology
Brain Mitochondrial PET Imaging and 31P-MR Spectroscopy to Dissect the Role of Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Bioenergetic Dysregulation in Dementia with Lewy Bodies Pathogenesis
ADRC PilotMizuno 
Psychiatry
Investigation of the Risk Architecture of Loneliness: Neural Social Reward and Pathological Aging
ADRC PilotWilkens 
Psychiatry
Wiegand Family Fund Pilot Study
NIH-R33AG076861Laymon/
Minhas
Radiology
Imaging Beta-Amyloid Clearance Mechanisms in the Aging Brain
NIH-I01CX001855 (VA Merit Award)Prasad
Psychiatry
Neural Circuitry Resilience in Psychotic Disorders: A Multimodal Ultra-High Field Neuroimaging Study
NIH-R01DC020963Bohland  
Communication Sciences and Disorders
High-resolution functional imaging of speech-induced sensory modulation
NIH-R01AG090417Thurston PsychiatryMenoBrain: A Longitudinal Investigation of Menopause and Brain Health
NIH-R01MH140962Ladouceur PsychiatryThe Role of Puberty in Corticostriatal Circuitry Development and Avoidance in Adolescents with Anxiety
PIT-NI (internal)Ladouceur PsychiatryBRAINSTORM 1
PIT-NI (internal)Thurston PsychiatryBRAINSTORM 2
PIT-NI (internal)Miller NeurologyPANDORA
NIH-R01MH120065Banihashemi
Psychiatry
Visceral Neural Circuits Linking Childhood Threat and Deprivation with Stress Physiology and Affective Symptoms in a Transdiagnostic Sample Using High-Field Personalized Brain Mapping

Recently Finished/Analysis Ongoing

Award NumberPI Last Name and University of Pittsburgh DepartmentProject Title with Link to NIH RePORTER
NIH-R01AG055389Gildengers
Psychiatry
Evaluation of Brain and Cognitive Changes in Older Adults with MCI Taking Lithium to Prevent Alzheimer Type Dementia  
NIH-R01AG067018Wu
Psychiatry
A Cerebrovascuar Basis for Sex Differences in Alzheimer's Disease Risk 
SOM Dean’s Faculty Advancement AwardChahine
Neurology
In Vivo Staging of Prodromal and Early Stage Parkinson’s Disease Pathology 
NIH-R21MH116475Yang
Psychiatry
Functional and Neurochemical Substrates of Amygdala-Frontal Circuitry Across Development and Anxiety
NIH-R01DC015504Chandrasekaran
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Neural Systems in Auditory and Speech Categorization
NIH-RF1AG053504Thurston
Psychiatry
Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms and Brain Aging in Women
University of Pittsburgh Vascular Medicine InstituteNovelli (Medicine)Novel Imaging Strategies of Cerebrovascular Dysfunction in Sickle Cell Disease
NIH-RF1AG025516Klunk
Psychiatry
Amyloid Pathology and Cognition in Normal Elderly
University of Pittsburgh Physicians Academic FoundationIbinson
Anesthesiology
Investigating the link between pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease and Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction using functional neuroimaging
University of Pittsburgh Physicians Academic FoundationXia
Neurology
Ultra-High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers of Multiple Sclerosis
NIH-RF1AG053504-01S1Thurston
Psychiatry
Supplement: Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms and Brain Aging in Women Using 7T MRI
NIH-R01MH108509-04S1Andreescu
Psychiatry
Supplement: Functional Neuroanatomy Correlates of Worry in Older Adults Using 7T MRI 
NIH-K23GM132755Vogt
Anesthesiology
Anesthestic modulation of human memory during acute pain
CTSI REAL Pilot ProgramLadouceur
Psychiatry
Toward Understanding Neural Substrates of Worry in Adolescents and Adults
NIH-K01MH112683Smagula
Psychiatry
Depression in Dementia Caregivers: Linking Brain Structure and Sleep-Wake Risks
NIH-R01MH112584Prasad
Psychiatry
Dimensional outcomes and neural circuitry associated with psychosis risk
NIH-R01MH111265Ibrahim
Bioengineering
High Performance Imaging for Assessment of Small Vessel Disease in Older Adults with Depression
NIH-R01MH111265-02S1Ibrahim
Bioengineering
Diversity Supplement
NIH-R01MH111265-03S1Ibrahim
Bioengineering
Supplement: enhancing ex-vivo MRI in relation to AD and SVD
NIH-R01HL127107Novelli
Medicine
Neurovascular Determinants of Cognitive Function in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease
NIH-R01AG056043-03S1Manuck
Psychology
Behavioral Mechanisms Linking Personality to Health in Midlife
NIH-R21MH122808Ladouceur
Psychiatry
Neural Systems Underlying Severe Worry in Anxious Adolescents and Young Adults
NIH-R01MH076079-13S1Aizenstein
Psychiatry
Supplement: Neural Mechanisms of Monoaminergic Engagement in Late-Life Depression Treatment Response using 7T MRI
NIH-R01MH076079Aizenstein
Psychiatry
Neural Mechanisms of Monoaminergic Engagement in Late-Life Depression Treatment Response (NEMO)
NIH-P01HL040962-23S1 Gianaros
Psychology
Biobehavioral Studies of Cardiovascular Disease
NIH-R01DK110041Marsland
Psychology
Metabolic and Inflammatory Pathways of Midlife Neurocognitive Disparities
NIH-R01MH115026Prasad
Psychiatry
Synaptic Pruning and Complement Gene in Schizophrenia: Imnaging and Cellular Studies 
Center for Innovation in Pain Care (Anesthesiology Seed)Ibinson
Anesthesiology
Neural Correlates of Auriculotherapy