fMRI compatible hypo-hyperbaric system for diving research and hyperbaric medicine

The objective of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of constructing the first Hypo-Hyperbaric System for use with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). MRI has proven to be the method of choice for detecting disease in soft tissue. It has found a wide range of applications in most parts of the body and for many diseases. In a ranking of how medical interventions and technology affected their ability to treat patients, physicians ranked MRI and CT as the most important innovation. While the MRI examination is expensive, it has nearly eliminated costly and potentially dangerous "exploratory surgery" procedures. In research, MRI has provided the ability to study disease processes and the response of disease to therapeutic treatment in the only truly relevant laboratory setting; the human body. It has therefore proved a valuable tool for honing disease treatments as well aiding diagnosis. Using the local changes in blood flow and oxygenation that occur where the brain is relatively active, fMRI can localize brain activity and allow the mapping of function to location. The Hypo-Hyperbaric chamber system will permit the use of MRI to study diving and hyperbaric medicine applications.