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.
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.
2. 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).
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.
Lab Members
Jiachen Zhuo, PhD
Grants and Proposals
PI/MPI | Grant Title | Total Project Period | Funding Source | Total 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