The Faculty of Medicine's Neuro-MRI core facility supports scientists, particularly in the fields of neurology and psychiatry, with state-of-the-art human brain imaging hardware and sequences. With the new MAGNETOM Prisma from Siemens, a 3T platform was installed in January 2024 that supports demanding research projects.
The CCF Neuro-MRI is equipped with a state-of-the-art Siemens 3T MAGNETOM Prisma, including MR-compatible equipment for visual stimulus presentation for neurological and psychiatric research. This setup enables fast and high-resolution functional imaging of the brain, as well as diffusion-weighted MRI for the reconstruction of nerve fibers. This is used for the investigation of subtle changes (e.g., plasticity after pharmacological intervention) or changes in deep (subcortical) brain structures.
PD Dr. Markus Aswendt, Neuroscientist, Director Stefanie Berger, MR physicist Patrick Weyer, medical technologist for radiology and study assistant Martina Franz, medical assistant and study assistant
Focus group
Prof. Dr. Joseph Kambeitz, Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Cologne Prof. Dr. Marc Tittgemeyer, Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research, Cologne Prof. Dr. Lukas J. Volz, Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology, University Hospital Cologne
User group
All employees of the University Hospital and University of Cologne. External users (academic and industry) upon request.
Terms of use
The use of the research MRI is regulated by a usage regulation, which you can view here:
To register a study, use this contact form. After reviewing the documents, a presentation of the study including advice on feasibility will follow.
Scheduling/booking
To work on your questions with the research MRT, please contact the steering group. Your project will be scheduled accordingly.
Technology & Support Neuro-MRI
Equipment
MRI coils
1. Flex small 4 MR coil 3 T
2. Flex large 4 MR coil 3 T
3. Spine 32 A 3 T TIM-Coil
4. Body 18 A 3 T
5. Head/Neck 20 CH 3 T
6. Head/Neck 64 CH 3 T
MRI accessories
1. vision correction glasses (Cambridge Research Systems)
2. PPU Peripheral Pulse Unit (PPU) (ANATEL/Siemens Healthcare)
3. PERU Physiolog. ECG/Respiratory Unit (ANATEL/Siemens Healthcare)
4. 8- and 4-button left/right and bimanual hand force measurement (Current Designs)
Funding advice
In its funding procedures, the German Research Foundation (DFG) can finance usage costs for large-scale equipment and equipment centers/core facilities, insofar as these correspond to project-specific additional requirements.
The Faculty of Medicine conducts a wide range of scientific studies on various issues. For these studies, volunteers are constantly being sought, whose participation is remunerated with an appropriate expense allowance. The various institutes and clinics are looking for suitable people who would like to undergo an MRI scan for research purposes.
