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Michigan State University · Department of Radiology

Seeing the human brain in unprecedented detail

CIRC is MSU's hub for human neuroimaging — integrating multi-modal imaging with next-generation analysis to decode the brain in health and disease.

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Our mission

Bridging image acquisition and analysis

CIRC brings together investigators from across MSU to turn state-of-the-art imaging into insight — improving lives today and tomorrow.

A shared community

An interdisciplinary network of member laboratories spanning Radiology, Psychology, Engineering, CMSE, Neuroscience, and beyond.

Advanced facilities

Human imaging on the Siemens Biograph One PET/MR — a 3T research-grade PET/MR at the CIIGT core — with full stimulus and analysis support.

Translational impact

From cognition and aging to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and concussion, our research turns imaging into actionable insight.

Research in action

From raw signal to brain biomarker

CIRC investigators map the brain's structure, function, and metabolism — resting-state networks, BOLD activation, diffusion tractography, and simultaneous PET/MR — and translate those signals into biomarkers of cognition, aging, and disease.

Artistic visualization of resting-state brain activity

Imaging modalities

Many ways to see the brain

Structure, function, connectivity, and metabolism — CIRC investigators image the brain across modalities and fuse them into a single picture of brain health.

Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation map on a sagittal brain

Resting-state function

Spontaneous BOLD fluctuations (ALFF) mapping the brain's intrinsic activity.

BOLD activation on inflated cortical surfaces

BOLD activation

Task-evoked responses rendered on inflated cortical surfaces.

PET standardized uptake value map on the Biograph One PET/MR

Positron Emission Tomography

Molecular imaging with amyloid, tau, and FDG PET on the Biograph One PET/MR.

Diffusion MRI white-matter tractography on a sagittal brain

Diffusion tractography

White-matter pathways reconstructed from diffusion MRI.

Glass-brain functional connectivity plot showing connections between brain regions

Functional connectivity

Networks that reveal how distant brain regions communicate.

Multi-modal templates: T1 MPRAGE, T2 FLAIR, ASL/CBF and DTI

Multi-modal templates

T1, FLAIR, ASL perfusion and diffusion — harmonized in one space.

Resting-state BOLD activity on the cortical surface · MSU CIRC

The brain in motion

Function you can watch unfold

Beyond static maps, our analyses capture the brain's dynamics — the moment-to-moment ebb and flow of activity across the cortex. These signals help us turn raw fluctuations into biomarkers of cognition, aging, and recovery.

Siemens Biograph One PET/MR scanner

Now operational

Siemens Biograph One PET/MR

CIRC is a proud partner of the Center for Imaging and Image-Guided Therapies (CIIGT) — pronounced "see-get" (See the image, Get the result). Housed within this facility, our Biograph One is one of the first systems of its kind installed in the United States.

Simultaneous capture of metabolic and functional processes opens transformative avenues for research into cognition and neurodegeneration.

See the facilities

3TBiograph One Research PET/MR
PET+MRacquired simultaneously
35cmPET axial field-of-view

Partner with CIRC

Interested in scan time, collaboration, or facility access? We welcome investigators from across MSU and partner institutions.

Get in touch