Monday, November 11, 2024
Ultrasound technology has the potential to accurately, cheaply, and above all, quickly visualize brain activity. This could open doors for new brain research, such as studying the interaction between brain regions. For now, however, there is a significant obstacle: the skull. The bone of the skull affects sound waves, which significantly deteriorates image quality.
Rick Waasdorp (TU Delft), a PhD candidate within the Medical Delta UltraHB: Ultrafast ultrasound for the heart and brain, is looking for ways to correct the distortion caused by the skull.
This interview is the sixteenth in a series of interviews with PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers funded by Medical Delta. Rick Waasdorp is conducting research within the Medical Delta UltraHB program: Ultrafast ultrasound for the heart and brain.
What are you researching, and how did you come to choose this research topic?
MRI is currently the standard for measuring brain activity. However, MRI is relatively expensive, scan capacity is limited, and scans take a long time. Ultrasound, on the other hand, is widely available in healthcare, portable, faster than MRI, and the new generation of ultrasound scanners is highly sensitive, enabling a new range of applications. There is one challenge, though: sound waves do not pass well through the skull, which currently limits the use of ultrasound for measuring brain activity to surgeries where the skull has been removed.
It opens new research possibilities, such as decoding brain activity with a brain-computer interface, allowing people with paralysis to control a wheelchair or a robotic arm.This enables real-time measurement of brain activity, opening up new possibilities for research. For example, decoding brain activity with a brain-computer interface, allowing people with paralysis to control a wheelchair or a robotic arm."
Ultrasound has long been a reliable technique in healthcare, making diagnoses faster, cheaper, and less invasive, which lowers the threshold for preventive care. In recent years, I have seen how much potential ultrasound has in preclinical research, and I am eager to contribute to bringing these new techniques to the clinic."
How does interdisciplinary collaboration contribute to your research?
"Thanks to the strong network between Leiden, LUMC, Erasmus MC, and Delft, I had the opportunity during my graduation period to connect early in my project with neurologists and the rehabilitation department at LUMC for medical and neuroscientific advice. This allowed me to map out the diagnostic problem very precisely and develop a more targeted solution.
The expertise of neuroscientists is crucial for us in designing and setting up experiments.
Currently, I am primarily focused on preclinical research, and we are collaborating with the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam to apply ultrasound in neuroscience. Along the way, we encounter many technical challenges, which I am eager to contribute ideas on. On the other hand, the expertise of the neuroscientists is crucial for us in designing and setting up experiments.
Collaboration with a team helps identify relevant problems and work in a focused manner. Interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial because no one can be an expert in every field. Through this collaboration, solutions are developed that are valuable to everyone."
Photo: Guido Benschop
Photo: Guido Benschop
What advice would you give to a future Medical Delta PhD candidate?
"It has taught me that interdisciplinary research becomes much more enjoyable and effective when it's not just about content-based collaboration, but also about building personal relationships. By occasionally participating in social activities of other research groups, you get to know researchers outside your immediate work circle better. This makes communication and collaboration smoother, and often leads to valuable friendships. This not only makes the research more productive but also much more enjoyable. My advice is to not only stay focused on work but also to occasionally do something fun together."
