Functional MRI investigation in the lumbar spinal cord

• University of Zurich
• Neurology

Recent research has expanded the investigation of spontaneous fluctuations in the BOLD fMRI signal from the brain to the spinal cord. The vast majority of the studies have focused on the cervical cord, neglecting the lumbar cord which is involved in lower limb control as well as bladder, bowel, and sexual function. In a previous project, we demonstrated the presence of resting-state networks in the lumbar cord. Now, we aim to investigate the reliability of these resting-state networks within and across scans. Another goal is to improve the processing of the BOLD fMRI data, which requires an in-depth comparison of different denoising strategies and exploring their impact on reliability. To achieve these goals, the Master's student will have access to existing resting-state BOLD fMRI data and will also have the opportunity to expand the dataset by acquiring additional data.

• Medical Biotechnology, Neurology and Neuromuscular Diseases, Neurosciences, Radiology and Organ Imaging, Rehabilitation Engineering
• Master Thesis