listen to this article
Clemson University and Prisma Health have announced a new MRI machine that will expand research opportunities in Alzheimer’s disease while meeting the clinical diagnostic needs of the Oconee County region.
Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital’s 3T functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) machine is a “next-generation, non-invasive system that provides faster, higher-quality medical imaging than previously available on local hospital campuses. one researcher said. University news release. The new department will support regional clinical diagnostic needs for patients in the Oconee County area and expand research opportunities to study Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases.
Next-generation 3T fMRI imaging technology is adding to the university’s research efforts focused on aging at Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital. (Photo/Clemson University)
The 3T fMRI technology is critical to the research and detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative diseases being studied upstate, the release states. The 3T technology differs from standard MRI equipment (1.5T) and allows for more sophisticated image details, especially related to changes in the brain, making it an important tool for research related to aging, according to the release. .
“Functional” magnetic resonance imaging (denoted by a lowercase f) also measures small changes in blood flow that occur when parts of the brain are functioning. The machine is an integral part of the Aging and Disability Resource Center and will not only help patients and research participants, but will also help recruit new faculty, researchers and clinicians to the upstate area, the release states. are.
“We are excited to unveil this new MRI technology at Oconee Memorial Hospital that will benefit people in South Carolina and beyond,” Windsor Sherrill, Clemson University’s vice president for health research, said in a release. “This collaboration with Prisma Health will provide both researchers and patients with a valuable resource that will have a lasting impact on health outcomes for generations to come.”
By offering this technology at Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital, patients living in Oconee County will no longer have to travel outside of our service area for 3T fMRI imaging for diagnostic evaluation.
“This leap in our diagnostic capabilities is only possible because of our long-standing partnership with Clemson University,” said Hunter Combs, CEO of Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital, in a release. I mentioned it in. “Our hospital is home to the university’s Engaged Aging Institute, which provides opportunities for people in our community to participate in research aimed at aging healthily. I am also very grateful to my chair, Thomas Alexander, whose unwavering support has been essential to this project.”
“We are grateful for the strong partnership between Clemson University and Prisma Health that brings the benefits of cutting-edge technology and research directly to our community,” Alexander said in the release. “We are excited to support these two organizations in their efforts to improve access to care and leverage their relationships to improve health outcomes in the tri-county region and beyond.”
Next-generation 3T fMRI imaging technology joins the university’s research efforts focused on aging at Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital, where the Engaged Aging Institute occupies the top floor of the medical center. The Institute aims to discover, develop and disseminate best practices for engaged aging through research, education and community outreach. The Institute’s efforts enable older adults to participate in family and community life, regardless of their social, economic, or health status.
