Multimodal Imaging Group

The Multimodal Imaging Group provides up-to-date imaging technologies and cutting-edge methodological expertise to support the research at the MPI-MR. Imaging modalities include positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT). The focus of research activities is on functional imaging, i.e. visualization, localization, and quantification of functional processes in the living organism. In combination with opto- and chemogenetic models that allow for activation of specific neuronal subpopulations we visualize functional networks and identify task- or stimulation-related functional alterations (Fig 1).

Fig 1: High-fat diet acutely downregulates brain glucose uptake in vivo
(A) Images showing differential regional glucose uptake in animals before and three days after exposure to HFD. Color code represents the p value for the indicated voxels in a paired Stu- dent’s t test before and after diet exposure for nine animals. Reductions in glucose uptake are shown in blue color. (B–E) Quantification of brain glucose uptake before and 3 days after HFD-exposure in nine animals in the hypothalamus (B), motor cortex (C), somatosensory cortex (D), and nucleus ac- cumbens (E). Data were analyzed using a paired Student’s t test. (F) Differential regional glucose uptake in animals treated with recombinant VEGF-164 or with saline (n = 8/9) while exposed to HFD for 3 days. Increase in glucose uptake is shown in red color, decrease in blue color.
(G–J) Quantification of changes in glucose uptake in VEGF-164 and saline-treated animals (n = 8/9) in the hypothalamus (G), motor cortex (H), somato- sensory cortex (I), and nucleus accumbens (J). Results presented as mean ± SEM or as box plots. Upper and lower whiskers indicate the minimum and maximum values of the data, centerlines indicate the median and the mean values are represented by plus signs. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. (Jais et al., Cell, 2016) — **Fig 1:** High-fat diet acutely downregulates brain glucose uptake in vivo (A) Images showing differential regional glucose uptake in animals before and three days after exposure to HFD. Color code represents the p value for the indicated voxels in a paired Stu- dent’s t test before and after diet exposure for nine animals. Reductions in glucose uptake are shown in blue color. (B–E) Quantification of brain glucose uptake before and 3 days after HFD-exposure in nine animals in the hypothalamus (B), motor cortex (C), somatosensory cortex (D), and nucleus ac- cumbens (E). Data were analyzed using a paired Student’s t test. (F) Differential regional glucose uptake in animals treated with recombinant VEGF-164 or with saline (n = 8/9) while exposed to HFD for 3 days. Increase in glucose uptake is shown in red color, decrease in blue color. (G–J) Quantification of changes in glucose uptake in VEGF-164 and saline-treated animals (n = 8/9) in the hypothalamus (G), motor cortex (H), somato- sensory cortex (I), and nucleus accumbens (J). Results presented as mean ± SEM or as box plots. Upper and lower whiskers indicate the minimum and maximum values of the data, centerlines indicate the median and the mean values are represented by plus signs. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. (Jais et al., Cell, 2016)

**Fig 1:** High-fat diet acutely downregulates brain glucose uptake in vivo

(A) Images showing differential regional glucose uptake in animals before and three days after exposure to HFD. Color code represents the p value for the indicated voxels in a paired Stu- dent’s t test before and after diet exposure for nine animals. Reductions in glucose uptake are shown in blue color. (B–E) Quantification of brain glucose uptake before and 3 days after HFD-exposure in nine animals in the hypothalamus (B), motor cortex (C), somatosensory cortex (D), and nucleus ac- cumbens (E). Data were analyzed using a paired Student’s t test. (F) Differential regional glucose uptake in animals treated with recombinant VEGF-164 or with saline (n = 8/9) while exposed to HFD for 3 days. Increase in glucose uptake is shown in red color, decrease in blue color.

(G–J) Quantification of changes in glucose uptake in VEGF-164 and saline-treated animals (n = 8/9) in the hypothalamus (G), motor cortex (H), somato- sensory cortex (I), and nucleus accumbens (J). Results presented as mean ± SEM or as box plots. Upper and lower whiskers indicate the minimum and maximum values of the data, centerlines indicate the median and the mean values are represented by plus signs. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. (Jais et al., Cell, 2016)

Recent Publications

Lippert, Cremer et al., Time-dependent assessment of stimulus-evoked regional dopamine release, Nature Communications, Volume 10, Article number: 336(2019)

Thanarajah, Backes et al., Food Intake Recruits Orosensory and Post-ingestive Dopaminergic Circuits to Affect Eating Desire in Humans, Cell Metabolism, Volume 29, Issue 3, 5 March 2019, Pages 695-706.e4