DONATIONS AT WORK HIGHLIGHTS 2025/26

Brain Imaging for a Healthy Tomorrow

Thanks to your generous support, the Alberta Children’s Hospital is entering a new era of pediatric imaging research.

Over the past year, there has been remarkable progress in transforming the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) process, which will improve experiences for children in Calgary — and eventually around the world.

Through Brain Imaging for a Healthy Tomorrow (BRIGHT), a team of experts is developing leading-edge technology to address pediatric MRI challenges and allow more children to participate in research, all while improving the quality and reliability of the data collected.

Last year, the team developed several advanced magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) methodologies designed to make scanning faster and less affected by movement.

These MRSI methods were tested first in water-based models — which mimic the brain’s chemistry and anatomy — and then in a small study of adults. Creating these techniques is key to further advances, with the goal of learning more about the developing brain.

The BRIGHT team also leveraged generous community support to secure additional funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. This funding will make it possible to establish advanced MRI infrastructure at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and enable the development of next-generation metabolic imaging technologies on the hospital’s research dedicated MRI scanner.

Once implemented, this technology will make the Alberta Children’s Hospital one of only two sites in the world equipped with this advanced platform for comprehensive, brain-wide metabolic mapping. The other site, Yale University, focuses on adults, which means the Alberta Children’s Hospital will be the first and only centre in the world with this unique capability dedicated to advancing metabolic brain imaging technology in children.

For many children, an MRI can be an intimidating experience. The need to remain still in a noisy and unfamiliar environment can be particularly challenging. For children who have neurodevelopmental conditions such as attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder, or for those who have a brain injury, the challenges can be exacerbated. When scans cannot be completed properly due to a child’s movement, important opportunities to better understand the pediatric brain and improve care may be lost. By developing new imaging approaches, the BRIGHT team will help more kids — including those with neurodevelopmental conditions — participate in research and ultimately help improve diagnosis, treatment and long-term outcomes.

BRIGHT is a principal program of the Child and Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR) program, an internationally-recognized team of researchers based at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.

CAIR researchers are world leaders in advancing the understanding of children’s brain health. Their work spans chronic migraine, pain following traumatic experiences and specialized imaging of children with severe quadriplegic cerebral palsy. They continue to generate groundbreaking insights in areas such as infant brain development, risk factors for mental illness and the emergence of mental health conditions during childhood and adolescence.

The progress BRIGHT has made over the past year has been truly incredible, and it’s possible because of the support of our community,” says Dr. Catherine Lebel, one of CAIR’s founding researchers. “Each step forward helps us learn more about children’s brains. At the heart of this work are kids and families, and it’s inspiring to have our community rallying behind us and them to improve children’s health and well-being into the future.”

Winnie’s story