http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH4TZteceas
I found the virtual colonoscopy portion very interesting, but I'd like to hear some of the opinions of clinicians on this board.
Buffalobob
08-06-2011, 17:04
I live with it daily. This is what my wife does.
http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/informatics_support/biomedical_informatics_research_network/
http://www-calit2.nbirn.net/about/bec_staff.shtm
Although brain imaging technology has generated remarkable progress in understanding how mental and neurological diseases develop, it has been nearly impossible for one laboratory to share and compare findings with other labs. A lack of coordinated networks for sharing data, plus limitations in compatible imaging and computer hardware and software, have isolated scientists. This isolation has barred researchers from collaborative efforts that could provide the large database of brain images needed for a comprehensive look at brain dysfunction.
By allowing laboratory scientists and clinical investigators to share and mine large quantities of data related to a particular disease, Potkin and his BIRN colleagues at UCI and throughout the network hope to speed the rate of discoveries and their translation to treatments for diseases such as schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, depression and dementia. Based on success in the neuroscience studies, the overall BIRN project will expand to create a sustainable, scalable, widely available electronic infrastructure that supports and encourages collaborative biomedical research in a broad range of diseases.
The UCI-based consortium is called Function BIRN (FBIRN) and is focused on understanding the hallucinations and abnormal emotional responses characteristic of schizophrenia. In the first phase of the project:
FBIRN established for the first time that the difference between MRI scanners and techniques across centers is so great that the value of multi-site studies is undermined, and
FBIRN developed calibration and correction methods to mitigate these obstacles and allow multi-site studies to realize their potential.
"Through this effort, we are creating new models for collaboration among researchers who study neuropsychiatric diseases at multiple sites with different equipment," said Dr. Elaine Collier, assistant director of the National Center for Research Resources Division of Clinical Research.
"Function BIRN's utilization of emerging technology for collaborative research and sharing of knowledge gained will accelerate scientific discoveries by allowing researchers to tackle complex questions and large-scale research projects that were not previously possible."
Ah she is on the main campus, I'm in one of the satellite campuses.