Investments advance brain research, name MRI for longtime BrainHealth couple

The Laurie and Todd Platt BrainHealth Project MRI Scanner will help researchers identify neural markers of improved brain health

Center for BrainHealth® celebrates major contributions reaching more than $1 million to support discoveries of brain improvement biomarkers. This investment in advancing the science of brain health is made possible by Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr., Laurie and Todd Platt and many of their friends.

The Sammons BrainHealth Imaging Center is dedicated to discovering a scalable panel of brain measurements correlating physical changes in the brain with changes in a holistic composite metric of brain health – the BrainHealth Index. It features the newly named Laurie and Todd Platt BrainHealth Project MRI Scanner, in honor of Todd Platt, the 2023 recipient of the BrainHealth Legacy Award, and his wife Laurie, and the Robert A. Meadows MRI Scanner. These state-of-the-art Siemens 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners are considered the gold standard for human brain research, as they are specifically optimized for the acquisition and interpretation of rich research data. The scanners are critical tools allowing researchers to visualize brain function as it gets better – by tracking changes in brain blood flow, faster speed of neural connectivity across brain networks, increase in thickness of key white matter tracts, and improved workings on the neural vascular system (cerebrovascular reactivity).

Since 2006, the Legacy Award has recognized individuals whose unwavering passion and dedication enable the Center for BrainHealth to generate a sustainable impact on brain health. As the center’s highest non-science honor, the award celebrates individuals who have made momentous contributions to groundbreaking research and interventions, as well as their steadfast determination energizing BrainHealth’s mission to protect and strengthen the brain throughout the lifespan.

“Proactive, preventive care for our brains needs to become as well understood as the rest of our bodies – our health and quality of life depend on it,” said Ross Perot, Jr. “Todd and Laurie have dedicated more than a decade to inspiring and encouraging advancement in the discovery of markers of a healthier brain, and Sarah and I are honored to recognize their legacy in perpetuity by contributing to the establishment of the Laurie and Todd Platt BrainHealth Project MRI Scanner at the Center for BrainHealth.”

“Todd embraces the impact brain health has for every individual, in every aspect of their life, from performance to long-term cognitive functioning,” said Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD, chief director of Center for BrainHealth and distinguished professor at UT Dallas. “The Laurie and Todd Platt BrainHealth Project MRI Scanner will enable thousands of fMRI scans, which will without a doubt lead to discoveries that revolutionize the science of brain health.”

ABOUT CENTER FOR BRAINHEALTH

Center for BrainHealth®, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving, and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting cognition and emotion in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations build on Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™), a proprietary methodology developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades.