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Jiachen Zhuo, PhD

Jiachen Zhuo
Jiachen Zhuo, PhD

Assistant Professor
Director Of Clinical M.R. Physics & Co-Director of M.R. Fellowship

Phone:410-328-5974
Email:  jzhuo@som.umaryland.edu

Biosketch

Dr. Zhuo received a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering in 2002 from the University of Pittsburgh. She received her PhD in electrical and computer engineering from University of Maryland College Park in 2011. Dr. Zhuo's research interests include magnetic resonance imaging, MR pulse sequences, diffusion kurtosis imaging and neuroimaging.

Complete Faculty Profile >

 


Research Projects

Please select a project title to learn more:

Tongue Function after Cancer Surgery Using 4D MRI, DTI, and MR Tagging

Our specific task is optimizing the acquisition of diffusion MRI imaging of in vivo tongue muscles, which we then validate against diffusion spectrum imaging of the post-mortem tongue and histology to verify true muscle alignment. Further we want to establish strain measures in the line of action of tongue muscle fibers using in vivo tagged MRI and diffusion MRI; develop models of functional connectivity in the tongue during speech; and assess tongue strategies in post-glossectomy speech

1. Motion detection and elimination in diffusion MRI

Phase Image Texture Analysis for Motion Detection in dMRI (PITA-MDD) method applied to detect motion in the tongue (e.g. during swallowing) and improve fiber tracking results. 

Phase Image Texture Analysis

2. Diffusion tractography and histology verification in the tongue

Diffusion tractography and histology verification in the tongue

SynMPRAGE Method for Improved Thalamus Sub-Nuclei Visualization

Here we develop and optimize an MPRAGE technique to generate a series of T1-based synthetic MPRAGE (SynMPRAGE) for direct visualization of sub-thalamic nuclei. Image shows T1map and SynMPRAGE images in coronal and sagittal planes with varied inversion times (TI’s of 520ms, 660ms, 800ms) for intra-thalamic nuclei visualization, as compared to the 7T visualization and the Morel Atlas (adapted from Tourdias et al). 

SynMPRAGE method for improved Thalamus sub-nuclei visualization

Advanced Neuroimaging in Traumatic Brain Injury

Conventional CT or MRI has limited sensitivity in detecting the diffuse axonal injury typically associated with TBI. Here we used different advanced MRI tools (DTI/DKI, resting state fMRI, proton MR spectroscopy) to study the structural and functional changes in the brain following TBI.

The figure below shows Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging that denotes distinct features in changes of diffusion heterogeneity.

Advanced Neuroimaging in Traumatic Brain Injury


Lab Members

 Jiachen Zhuo, PhD


Grants and Proposals

PI/MPIGrant TitleTotal Project PeriodFunding SourceTotal Costs
Jiachen Zhuo Tongue and Muscle Function After Cancer Surgery using 4D MRI, DTI, and MR Tagging Aug 2015 - July 2021 NIH R01 $608,376.00
Jiachen Zhuo UMB Baltimore Zhuo General Clinical MR 2020 Nov 2020 - Oct 2021 Siemens Medical $25,000.00
Rao Gullapalli/
Jiachen Zhuo
Longitudinal Sub-thalamic Structural and Functional Alterations in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury July 2018 - May 2023  NIH-NINDS $3,064,343.00

Total: $3,697,719.00


Publications

Click here to view Jiachen Zhuo's publication on Pubmed

Please refer Dr. Zhuo's faculty profile for highlighted publications