The University of Ottawa (U of O) recently donated $1.7 million to the Royal Institute of Mental Health Research (RIMHR) Brain Imaging Centre to help fund the addition of a PET-fMRI machine.
The machine combines two types of technology: Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning, and a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scan.
A U of O press release said researchers at the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute (uOBMRI) will have access to this “cutting-edge” machine to study mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
“[It’s] the first of its kind in Canada solely dedicated to mental health research and neuroscience,” the release said.
Zoë Williams, a second-year Carleton neuroscience student, said combining the two types of technology will allow for more detailed brain scans.
“The PET is not as sensitive as fMRI,” Williams said. “In situations when the subject makes tiny movements . . . the image can be ruined in an fMRI but will still be fine with PET.”
The Royal’s website says this new technology will revolutionize mental health care.
According to the Royal, the machine is “like a biopsy on a living brain.”
The release also said it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying biological causes of mental illnesses.
“It will give us a deeper understanding of why the brain isn’t functioning properly, and lead to effective diagnoses and treatments,” the website said.
