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Noam Harel, Ph.D.

Professor
1-211D CMRR
Office: 612-625-8399
HAREL002 at umn.edu

Dr. Harel is a Professor in the departments of Radiology and Neurosurgery, at the University of Minnesota. After receiving his B.Sc. in biology from Tel Aviv University, Israel, Dr. Harel moved to the University of Toronto, Canada, where he received his MSc (1996) and PhD (2000) in Physiology and Neuroscience for mapping auditory areas using optical imaging technique. For his post doctoral training, Dr. Harel moved to the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota where his research focused on the development of methods for high-resolution MRI and functional MRI (fMRI) applications using high magnetic fields (7T & 9.4T). In particular, Dr. Harel developed fMRI capabilities for mapping columnar and laminar organization in cerebral cortex both in human and animal models. In 2002, Dr. Harel moved to the University of Pittsburgh as a research associate and soon after returned to Minnesota and joined CMRR as a faculty member.

Dr. Harel's current research focuses on the development and integration of 7T and high field neuroimaging data into deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgical navigation in particular and brain surgery in general.

Harel Lab website

Research Interests:

  • High-resolution brain imaging for clinical application.
  • Integration of 7T neuroimaging data into DBS surgical navigation.
  • High-resolution mapping of brain activity using MR methods at ultra high magnetic fields.
  • High-resolution, high-specificity fMRI applications.
  • Visualization techniques for imaging brain microvasculature.

Selected Publications:

Duchin Y, Shamir R, Patriat R, Kim J, Vitek J, Sapiro G & Harel N.  (2018) Patient-specific anatomical model for deep brain stimulation based on 7 Tesla MRI. PLoS ONE 13(8): e0201469.

Individualized Tractography-Based Parcellation of the Globus Pallidus Pars Interna using 7T MRI in Movement Disorder Patients Prior to DBS Surgery (2018) Patriat R, Cooper S, Duchin Y, Niederer J, Lenglet C, Aman J, Park MC, Vitek J, & Harel N. NeuroImage 178 (2018) 198–209.

Shamir R, Duchin Y, Kim J, Patriat R, Marmor O, Bergman H, Vitek JL, Sapiro G, Bick A, Eliyahu R, Eitan R, Israel Z & Harel N. (2018) Microelectrode recordings validate the clinical visualization of subthalamic-nucleus based on 7T MRI and machine-learning for deep brain stimulation surgery. Neurosurgery. 2018 May 24. doi: 10.1093/neuros/nyy212.

Kim J, Duchin Y, Shamir R, Patriat R, Vitek J, Harel N & Sapiro. (2018) Automatic Localization of the Subthalamic Nucleus on Patient-Specific Clinical MRI by Incorporating 7T MRI and Machine Learning:  Application in Deep Brain Stimulation. Hum Brain Mapp. 2018;1–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.24404.

Plantinga B, Temel Y, Duchin Y, Uludag K, Patriat R, Roebroeck A, Kuijf M, Jahanshahi A, ter Haar Romenij B, Vitek JL & Harel N. (2016) Individualized parcellation of the subthalamic nucleus in patients with Parkinson's disease with 7T MRI. Neuroimage. 2018 Mar;168:403-411. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.09.023. Epub 2016 Sep 26

Duchin Y, Abosch A, Yacoub E, Sapiro G & Harel N. (2012) Feasibility of using ultra-high field (7T) MRI for clinical surgical targeting. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37328. Epub 2012 May 17.

Harel N. (2012) Ultra High Resolution fMRI at ultra-high field. NeuroImage. 2012 Jan 9. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 22245344.

Lenglet C, Abosch A, Yacoub E, De Martino F, Sapiro S, Harel N. (2012) Comprehensive in vivo Mapping of the Human Basal Ganglia and Thalamic Connectome in Individuals using 7T MRI. PLoS ONE 2012 7(1): e29153. doi:10.1371.

Abosch A, Yacoub E, Ugurbil K & Harel N. (2010). An Assessment of Current Brain Targets for Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery using Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging at 7T. Neurosurgery 2010 Dec;67(6):1745-56; discussion 1756.

Yacoub E, Harel N, Ugurbil K. (2008) High Field fMRI Unveils Orientation Columns in Humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2008 Jul 29;105(30):10607-12.

Harel N, Lin J, Moeller S, Ugurbil K & Yacoub E. (2006) Combined imaging-histological study of cortical laminar specificity of fMRI signals. NeuroImage 29(3):879-87.

Harel N, Ugurbil K, Uludag K & Yacoub E. (2006) Frontiers of Brain Mapping Using MRI. J of Magnetic Resonance Imaging 23(6):945-957.

Bolan PJ, Yacoub E, Garwood M, Ugurbil K & Harel N. (2006) In Vivo Micro-MRI of Intracortical Neurovasculature. NeuroImage 32(1):62-9 - Cover.

Harel N, Lee S-L, Kim D-S, Nagaoka T & Kim S-G. (2002) Origin of Negative Blood Oxygenation Level-Dependent fMRI Signals. J Cereb Blood Flow and Metab 22:908-917.

Harrison RV, Harel N, Panesar J, Mount RJ. (2002) Blood capillary distribution correlates with hemodynamic based functional imaging in cerebral cortex. Cereb Cortex 12: 225-233 - Cover.

Harel N, Mori N, Sawada S, Mount RJ & Harrison RV. (2000) Three distinct auditory areas of cortex (AI, AII, AAF) defined by optical imaging of intrinsic signals. NeuroImage 11:4;302-312 - Cover.