Head of lab: Prof Stefan du Plessis ([email protected]​)

The Stellenbosch University Neuroimaging Research group has long been at the forefront of neuroimaging research, investigating genomic, neural, cellular, and environmental signatures that are common to neuropsychiatric disorders and cardiovascular risk, as defined by metabolic syndrome, and that contribute to co-morbidity, symptom severity, and treatment outcomes. This includes research done on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. We utilise a "whole systems" biology approach to uncover the biological, environmental, and behavioural signatures of disease comorbidity in neuropsychiatric disorders to inform future prevention and treatment. This is achieved by combining genomic, transcriptomic, epigenetic, and complementary phenotypic and multimodal neuroimaging data to disentangle mechanistic pathways that lead to the development of co-morbidity of these disorders. We utilise the latest neuroimaging techniques, including functional Magnetic resonance imaging (Task-Based and Resting State), Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), and structural brain imaging (sMRI). Local High-performance computing infrastructure (HPC), as well as Machine learning/artificial intelligence-based processing, also form an integral part of our analysis pipelines. We utilise the Combined Universities Body Imaging Centre (UCT), which hosts a 3T Siemens Skyra dedicated MRI research scanner. Our team consists of neuroscientists, geneticists, psychiatrists, neurologists, biomedical engineers, and research psychologists.

Low Field MRI Laboratory

We are currently expanding our neuroimaging expertise to include low-field hardware and sequence development. Despite progress made in large-scale international scanning initiatives, MRI's high cost and expertise requirements have limited our ability to image truly representative samples in countries most affected. Recent developments in low-field MRI (< 1.5 Tesla) show great promise for providing low-cost screening for brain development as well as MRI teaching tools to train much-needed biomedical engineers and associated expertise in our setting. We are partnering with collaborators in Uganda, the Netherlands, and the United States to construct some of the first local low-field research scanners for use as online training tools and HIV/TB research. This will be a transdisciplinary lab, involving biomedical engineering, psychiatry, neurology, and pulmonology.

Virtual Reality Lab, Psychiatry

Our Virtual Reality (VR) lab is a collaborative effort between multiple departments, including the Department of Psychiatry and Engineering (Biomedical). In future projects, we plan to involve the Department of Anaesthesiology (Pain Management), Neurosurgery (Training and CT/MRI scan visualisation), and various private psychology practices (Exposure-Based Therapy development). Locally, we collaborate with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Schizophrenia). We are also in collaboration with international institutions, including the Department of Biological Psychology, University of Wuerzburg.

Our lab mainly focuses on the development of VR-based treatment options for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, specific phobias (Acrophobia, Claustrophobia), and the development of stress reactivity-based biomarkers in Schizophrenia.

The virtual reality lab consists of a VT+Expo System VTplus-IG-761 Virtual Reality Simulation System, a VIVE HTC Head Mounted Display, a Biopac AXIMP160WSW/WS-NDT - MP160 System, and a free-roaming space. This allows us to perform state-of-the-art neurofeedback experiments measuring social stress (Trier stress test), fear of heights, and implicit stress. The current feedback options are electrodermal activity, ECG, and startle responses. We also perform pre-pulse inhibition experiments.