The artistry in the images                           Back

 

At the speed of thought, signals in the brain race through bundles of axons, carrying vast amounts of conscious and unconscious information.

 
Individual MRI scans are merged into an image which blends science and art. Medically, they provide neuroradiologists with the ability to identify and monitor disease at a microscopic level. Aesthetically, they magnify our appreciation for the magnificence of the human body. In their entirety, these prints blend science with the spirit of wonder which suffuses the human experience.
 
  These images combine two or more individual MRI scans into unique images. First is the traditional black-and-white image, familiar to many who have had an MRI scan of the brain--although these add a level of detail not yet commonly available. Next, overlaid with the black-and-white image, is the information from a different sort of MRI scan. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) color-codes the molecular vibrations within cellular structures. Finally, the DTI data is processed into vivid 3-D renderings which track the spatial orientation of neural fibers and displays them as colored bands.  Red indicates pathways traveling from one side of the person's head to the other (ear-to-ear). Blue indicates routes oriented top to bottom (head-to-toe). Green represents front-to-back.