Page 29 - Establishing the Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences

The Azrieli National Institute for Human Brain Imaging and Research
This institute was established in 2016
to support research on the physiology, biochemistry, and functioning of the human brain in health and disease, with an eye toward informing treatment
and potential cures. It has already positioned the Weizmann Institute
as a global leader in brain imaging capability. The centerpiece of the
Azrieli National Institute is an ultra- high- eld 7-Tesla MRI system, which allows scientists to visualize brain imaging data at previously unattainable resolution and precision, with vast implications for neuroscience studies.
Dr. Takashi Kawashima uses an innovative ‘virtual reality’ platform to re ne understanding of how the brain learns to make positive or negative associations with stimuli. This research has major implications for addiction, anxiety disorders, and the improvement of neuropsychiatric drugs.
Prof. Eitan Reuveny studies the intricate
cellular machinery responsible for maintaining proper cellular calcium levels—research that may accelerate
the development of more e ective treatments for in ammatory, cardiovascular, and neurological disorders.
Dr. Rita Schmidt oversees experiments designed to optimize the performance of the Institute’s 7-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, and to explore to farthest reaches of what is possible to obtain in terms of image quality and resolution.
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