Clinical MRI unit

Strauss Neuroimaging Center

Unlocking Brain Plasticity

Prof. Yaniv Assaf's Lab is dedicated to developing "next-gen MRI" tools to investigate neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to reshape itself. Their work is driven by the hypothesis that brain structure, function, and behavior are intrinsically linked.
Key Research Themes The lab's research focuses on four principal, intertwined subjects:

Brain Connectivity and Plasticity: Exploring how the brain changes in both time and space in response to cognitive experiences.
Structural Connectomics: Analyzing the "wiring" and networks of the brain.
Brain Evolution: Studying the development and conservation of brain structures.
Cortical Fingerprinting: Identifying unique structural characteristics of the brain.

Methodology & Innovation to move "beyond the gray and white" matter visible in standard scans, the lab develops novel MRI methods and models. These tools allow them to observe brain microstructure and networks with greater sensitivity, particularly regarding how they change following "real-life skill learning".

Resilience, Prevention, and Treatment in Combat

Prof. Yair Bar-Haim's lab A significant portion of the lab's work is dedicated to understanding how combat exposure affects the brain and testing interventions to protect soldiers. This research spans from pre-deployment prevention to post-deployment treatment for veterans.
Key Research Findings

Primary Prevention: The lab has conducted major randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing Attention Bias Modification (ABM) as a preventative tool. This involves training soldiers before deployment to reduce the risk of developing PTSD symptoms later.
Neural Rewiring & Resilience: Using neuroimaging, the lab studies how combat deployment physically changes the brain's functional network architecture, identifying "neural rewiring" patterns associated with resilience.
Intelligence & PTSD Risk: Research has examined the relationship between intelligence, the intensity of combat exposure, and the subsequent risk of developing PTSD across multiple deployments.
Treatment Effectiveness: The lab critically evaluates standard treatments for military-related PTSD. Their studies have provided "sobering" looks at the effectiveness of traditional therapies (like CBT and psychodynamic therapy) for combat veterans, often highlighting the need for more effective interventions.
Attention Bias in Veterans: They have identified that threat-related attention bias interacts with combat exposure to predict PTSD symptoms. Consequently, they test attention training as a specific intervention to normalize these biases in both Israeli and US combat veterans.

Advanced Imaging of Metabolic & Muscle Physiology

Prof. Yftach Gepner's lab utilizes MRI technology not just for anatomical viewing, but as a precise physiological measurement tool to quantify metabolic health and muscle recovery.
Key MRI-Based Research Areas

Muscle Recovery Dynamics (MRI T2 Mapping): The lab uses advanced MRI techniques, specifically T2 relaxation time mapping, to probe the physiology of muscle recovery. This allows them to precisely visualize and quantify muscle damage and repair following activities like downhill running, providing a deeper understanding of recovery kinetics than standard methods.
Fat Distribution & Metabolic Health: A major portion of their MRI research focuses on distinguishing between different fat depots to understand "metabolically healthy" versus "unhealthy" obesity:
- Hepatic (Liver) Fat: They use MRI to measure liver fat content, identifying it as a key determinant of metabolic health, particularly in adolescents and in response to different diets (like the Mediterranean diet).
- Visceral vs. Abdominal Fat: Studies use MRI to segment and measure visceral adipose tissue (VAT) versus deep subcutaneous fat. They have found that these specific MRI-measured depots provide distinct reflections of cardiometabolic outcomes and energy expenditure.
Epigenetics & Aging (The CENTRAL MRI Trial): The lab has conducted large-scale randomized controlled trials (like the CENTRAL MRI trial) where MRI data is correlated with biological markers. For instance, they have linked lifestyle weight-loss interventions monitored by MRI to the attenuation of methylation aging.

Political Brain Mapping: Neural Correlates of Ideology

The study, led by Prof. Yaara Yeshurun, utilized functional MRI (fMRI) to explore how the brains of individuals with opposing political ideologies respond to identical political stimuli, and how these neural responses shift as the broader political reality evolves over time (tracking participants from 2019 to 2021).

Key Research Findings

Sensory-Level Divergence: Political ideology shapes more than just top-down interpretation; it alters baseline sensory processing. Based solely on neural activity within visual and auditory cortices, a machine learning classifier could predict whether a participant identified as politically right- or left-wing with an unprecedented 80% accuracy.
Right-Wing Mirroring Mechanisms: When right-wing participants viewed aligned political content, researchers observed distinct activation within the somatosensory and motor networks. This localized activation suggests a unique engagement of the mirror neuron system, allowing these individuals to internally simulate the actions onscreen, thereby facilitating a deeper sense of personal identification.
Tribalism Over Ideology (The "Bennett Effect"): In 2021, participants re-watched identical 2019 campaign videos featuring Naftali Bennett (who had since transitioned from a minor right-wing politician to Prime Minister of a diverse coalition). While baseline sensory processing remained unchanged, a dramatic shift occurred within emotion, memory, and reward networks. This demonstrates that the brain prioritizes whether a figure is perceived as an ally or an adversary over the actual ideological content presented.

The study provides robust empirical evidence that individuals across the political spectrum inhabit fundamentally different sensory realities. To bridge this divide, effective discourse cannot rely on debates over interpretation; rather, it requires establishing a shared, mutually agreed-upon baseline reality before meaningful engagement can occur.

See The Clinical MRI Equipment