Dr. Swati Rane Levendovszky works to improve the sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods to allow robust and non-invasive assessment of neurovascular function. Her contributions to the ADRC include novel MRI imaging tools to quantify cerebrovascular pathology such as cerebrovascular reactivity mapping, perfusion imaging, and imaging of blood-brain barrier dysfunction. She also leverages SyMRI, a new software and MRI sequence combination for quantitative T1 mapping, T2 mapping, and myelin quantification. Because most risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease have a vascular component, Dr. Rane Levendovszky thinks that new neurovascular interventions, instead of neurocentric interventions, hold promise to improve cognitive outcomes.
Further, Dr. Rane Levendovszky has developed non-invasive MRI measures to understand the glymphatic function, and its interaction with cerebrovascular circulation, sleep, and dementia.
She is currently funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense (DoD), the National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA), Bayer, and Philips. Past funding includes the Dolsen Family Fund, Microsoft, and Michael J Fox Foundation.
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Related links: Imaging at the UW ADRC (AD@UW Research Education Presentation)
Research Interests
Investigation of neurovascular mechanisms in the human brain using non-invasive functional magnetic resonance contrast mechanisms and spectroscopy methods; application of MRI methods to research in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases; precision medicine interventions for cognitive decline.
