Research on human development seeks to delineate the variable and invariant properties of age-graded changes in the organization of brain–behavior–environment systems. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) have become indispensable tools for the noninvasive assessment of brain function, anatomy, microstructure, and metabolism. The Max Planck Research Group MR Physics seeks to ascertain and improve the measurement quality of standard brain imaging protocols and to complement the standard repertoire by additional methods that carry promise for understanding the ways in which brains change as a function of maturation, learning, and senescence.
Central questions in lifespan psychology often are about the range and direction of change and variability, be it longitudinal change observed over years and decades, intervention-induced change over weeks and months, or fluctuations that occur from day to day and from moment to moment. Random measurement error and systematic drifts can compromise the reliable measurement of change. Hence, the research group takes a special interest in exploring, safeguarding, and improving the precision and temporal stability of measurement.
The Max Planck Institute for Human Development operates a 3-Tesla MRI scanner (Siemens TIM-Trio), which is used to study the structure and function of the brain. This long-established system is expected to be replaced in the near future by a latest-generation 3-Tesla MRI system (Siemens Cima.X).
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Selected Publications until 2026
Aigner, C. S., Bodammer, N. C., Edwards, L., Feg, T., Ivanov, D., Kühn, S., Lee, H. S., Mildner, T., Pampel, A., Santoro, D., Schröder, S., Trampel, R., Tse, D., Weiskopf, N., Möller, H. E., & Mohammadi, S. (in press). Beyond field strength: The impact of gradient system performance in 1.5T, 3T and 7T functional and diffusion weighted imaging. In Proceedings of the 2026 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition. ISMRM, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Aigner, C. S., Forlim, C. G., Santoro, D., Bodammer, N. C., Brühl, R., Sudimac, S., Schmalen, K., Schröder, S., Mohammadi, S., & Kühn, S. (2026). MRI goes mobile: Assessing the reliability and repeatability of a mobile vs. stationary 1.5 T MRI for functional neuroscience studies. NMR in Biomedicine, 39(7), Article e70310. https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.70310
Liu, K., Uludaǧ, K., de Coo, I. F. M., Smeets, H. J. M., Jansen, J. F. A., Formisano, E., Poser, B. A., Haast, R. A. M., & Ivanov, D. (2026). The impact of B1+ inhomogeneity on image quality metrics and morphometric statistical inferences at 7 T MRI. MedRxiv, June 09, 2026. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.06.08.26355136
Hadjikiriakos, K., Krüger, F., Zimmermann, F. F., Grimm, J. A., Schorling, C., Lutz, M., Schmidt, S., Riemann, L. T., Degenhardt, K., Schäffter, T., Ladd, M. E., Metzger, G. J., Aigner, C. S., & Schmitter, S. (2026). Cross-site generalization of CNN-based B+1 mapping in UHF MRI. NMR in Biomedicine, 39(5), Article e70263. https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.70263
Sylvester, A. L., Spapens, J. C. C., Tse, D. H. Y., Serrarens, C., Kappert, S., Soons, N., Poser, B. A., Linden, D. E. J., Ivanov, D., van Amelsvoort, T., & Vingerhoets, C. (2026). Effects of riluzole on excitation-inhibition imbalance and functional connectivity in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: A multimodal 7-Tesla MRI study. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 362, Article 112279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2026.112279
Santoro, D., Carinci, F., & Aigner, C. S. (2025). Rapid, low power PHIFA CUP B1+ mapping. In Proceedings of the 2025 ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition. ISMRM, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. https://doi.org/10.58530/2025/4426
Polk, S. E., Kleemeyer, M. M., Bodammer, N. C., Misgeld, C., Porst, J., Wolfarth, B., Kühn, S., Lindenberger, U., Düzel, S., & Wenger, E. (2023). Aerobic exercise is associated with region-specific changes in volumetric, tensor-based, and fixel-based measures of white matter integrity in healthy older adults. Neuroimage: Reports, 3, Article 100155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ynirp.2022.100155
Polk, S. E., Kleemeyer, M. M., Köhncke, Y., Brandmaier, A. M., Bodammer, N. C., Misgeld, C., Porst, J., Wolfarth, B., Kühn, S., Lindenberger, U., Wenger, E., & Düzel, S. (2022). Change in latent gray matter structural integrity is associated with change in cardiovascular fitness in older adults who engage in at-home aerobic exercise. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 16, Article 852737. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2022.852737
Wenger, E., Polk, S. E., Kleemeyer, M. M., Weiskopf, N., Bodammer, N. C., Lindenberger, U., & Brandmaier, A. M. (2022). Reliability of quantitative multiparameter maps is high for magnetization transfer and proton density but attenuated for R1 and R2* in healthy young adults. Human Brain Mapping, 43(11), 3585–3603. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25870
Bender, A. R., Keresztes, A., Bodammer, N. C., Shing, Y. L., Werkle-Bergner, M., Daugherty, A. M., Yu, Q., Kühn, S., Lindenberger, U., & Raz, N. (2018). Optimization and validation of automated hippocampal subfield segmentation across the lifespan. Human Brain Mapping, 39(2), 916–931. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.23891
