Physical sciences

Administrative Assistant: Lorelie Lacson
Phone: 416-480-6100 ext: 4293
Email: Lorelie.Lacson@sunnybrook.ca

Education:

• Diploma, 1997, Physics, Technical University Berlin, Germany
• PhD, 2003, Medical Physics, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany

Appointments and Affiliations:

• Senior scientist, Physical Sciences, Hurvitz Brain Sciences Research Program, Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Senior MRI scientist, Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• Full professor, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto
• Senior scientist, Krembil Brain Institute, University Health Network

Research Foci:

• MRI Methods development at 3 and 7 Tesla
• Clinical applications of multi-modal MRI at 7 Tesla
• Brain blood perfusion using arterial spin labelling and dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI
• Modeling effective and functional connectivity from functional MRI signals
• High spatial resolution anatomical and functional imaging

Research Summary:

Dr. Kâmil Uludağ is committed to harnessing state-of-the-art 3 and 7 Tesla MRI technology to bridge the gap between fundamental methodological research and clinical applications. At the core of Dr. Uludağ's scholarly pursuits is the investigation of the physiological and physical mechanisms underpinning the functional MRI signal, a cornerstone technique in studying brain function. He has developed biophysical models to derive effective connectivity between brain areas, allowing distinguishing subpopulations of patients based solely on brain data.

Over the past decade, his expertise has extended to exploring the mesoscopic intricacies of neuronal organization, exemplified by his pioneering work in cortical layers and columns. Additionally, he strives to translate research findings into clinical benefits for patients by integrating MRI techniques into clinical research for conditions such as brain tumors, deep brain stimulation, and Alzheimer's Disease (in particular by utilizing advanced perfusion and high-spatial resolution (f)MRI).

Beyond his research, Dr. Uludağ has been a stalwart contributor to the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM): Serving on the Annual Meeting Program Committee, elected twice to chair the "Brain Function" study group, and organizing educational and scientific workshops display his active engagement. Recently, he has been elected Senior Fellow of the ISMRM, an honor bestowed only upon acknowledged leaders in the MRI field. As Scientific Director of the 7T MRI scanner, Dr. Uludağ will support non-expert users to perform their clinical studies on a world-class level by testing, optimizing and standardizing data acquisition and by developing data analysis pipelines tailored to 7T images.

Selected publications:

See current publications list on PubMed.

1. J.B. Schulman, S. Kashyap, S.G. Kim, K. Uludağ. Non-Invasive Perfusion MR Imaging of the Human Brain via Breath-Holding. Scientific Reports 27;14(1):7322.
2. K. Uludağ. Physiological modeling of the BOLD signal and implications for effective connectivity: A primer. NeuroImage Aug 15:277:120249 (2023).
3. R.A.M. Haast, I.F.M. De Coo, D. Ivanov, A.R. Khan, J.F.A. Jansen, H.J.M. Smeets, K. Uludağ. Neurodegenerative and functional signatures of the cerebellar cortex in m.3243A > G patients. Brain Communications 4(1), 1-16 (2022).
4. K. Uludağ, M. Havlicek. Determining laminar neuronal activity from BOLD fMRI using a generative model. Prog Neurobiol. 207, 1-15 (2021).
5. R.A.M. Haast, D. Ivanov, K. Uludağ. The impact of B1+ correction on MP2RAGE cortical T1 and apparent cortical thickness at 7T. Human Brain Mapping 39, 2412-2425 (2018).

Related links:

• University of Toronto faculty profile