New MRI method offers deeper insight into brain physiology

June 6, 2025

HWNI member Chunlei Liu, professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences (EECS) and co-director of the Henry H. Wheeler, Jr. Brain Imaging Center, is part of a team that developed a new MRI method that can trace venous blood in the brain back to its source. The method, called Displacement Spectrum (DiSpect) MRI, could help researchers answer questions about brain function and how it relates to blood flow, and may lead to more effective strategies for diagnosing and treating certain vascular and neurological conditions.

Liu is a co-author on the study, which was published in Nature Communications. The study's principal investigator is EECS professor Michael Lustig. Read more from UC Berkeley Engineering.

Artistic rendering of a brain inside a transparent human head.

Image by iStock via UC Berkeley Engineering