Mission

CFMI’s Central Mission

The Center for Functional and Molecular Imaging (CFMI) at Georgetown University Medical Center combines brain imaging and neurostimulation methods with behavioral assessments to understand the neural mechanisms of thought, feeling, movement and perception. Our center supports researchers from across the District of Columbia’s neuroscience community. Our mission is to work with researchers to advance our scientific understanding of the human brain across the lifespan and in various health conditions with the ultimate goal of improving clinical outcomes and aiding in the return of function. 

We consist of faculty, research assistants, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students with expertise in structural, functional and molecular brain imaging. We conduct research across a wide range of participant populations, including both healthy individuals and clinical groups. Our team commits to collaborating closely with investigators and adapting imaging protocols to help achieve their scientific goals. We specialize in pushing the limits of what these techniques to answer the major challenges in neuroscience.

Study Participants

CFMI has a long-standing tradition of working with a wide range of participants in a manner that helps ensure their comfort while achieving the scientific goals of the study. This includes pediatric populations with various developmental disorders such as dyslexia, autism, and attention-deficit disorder. We also support a number of researchers studying elderly populations who have mild-cognitive impairment, difficulties resulting from a stroke, and a number of clinical trials. Our mission with these studies is to utilize recent advances in neuroimaging so that we can help improve diagnosis and treatment. 

Neuromodulation

CFMI strives to nurture and implement innovative technology in our scanning center. Several research groups that work with us utilize neuromodulation to uncover mechanisms behind addiction,creative thinking, pain modulation, and stroke recovery. Currently, CFMI utilizes Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), and Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (LIFU) for these purposes. EEG, or electroencephalogram, studies are welcome to use the resources our center provides. 

Sponsors of our Mission

The Center for Functional and Molecular Imaging is supported by Georgetown University, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (DoD-CDMRP).