Department of Defense to tout Wright-Patterson AFB partnership with Dayton Children's Hospital on brain research

The Department of Defense's media department, known as the Defense Media Activity, visited Dayton Children’s Hospital to shoot video for a five minute piece on the non-invasive brain stimulation research Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is conducting using Dayton Children’s 3T MRI.  A test subject was used to showcase the procedure. 

The piece will highlight the work of Dr. Andy McKinley, a biomedical engineer in the Applied Neuroscience Branch.  He is studying the effects of electrical impulses on the brain.  In his research, his subject is given an MRI scan, then receives brain stimulation.  A second MRI shows any changes in brain activity. The goal is to see what can make people focus easier, pay attention longer and perform better.  "We found that it works really well for maintaining attention over long periods of time," says Dr. McKinley.  "We found out that it doubles attention and lasts about three times as long as caffeine and the performance is twice as good as compared to caffeine, as well."

The Dayton Children’s 3T MRI is the only one in the region. The 3T can provide images that are twice the quality and clarity as most of the current scanners in use. This level of clarity can help to find subtle abnormalities that a 1.5T scanner is unable to detect. "This new technology is not only great for the children in the region but also for scientists and researchers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Wright State University and Premier Health’s Neuroscience Institute who are working to understand the causes of brain diseases and implementing state of the art procedures for improving cognitive performance," says Elizabeth Ey, MD, director of medical imaging at Dayton Children's Hospital.

This is just another example of the productive partnership Dayton Children’s has with Wright-Patterson AFB. Just last month, Dayton Children’s critical care physicians joined with physicians from Wright-Patt, Wright State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, engaging in a unique and high-impact pediatric critical care course within the Wright-Patterson Medical Simulation Center.  This training used the combined experiences of these physicians to enhance the operational capabilities of the military and the Dayton community to care for critically ill/injured children as a result of natural disasters, humanitarian crises and counterinsurgency warfare.

Hemanth Lingadevaru, MD, MPH, FAAP, an intensivist in Dayton Children’s department of critical care medicine, instructed the airmen and then evaluated their performance.  "Sharing knowledge, experience and resources not only makes better doctors but ensures better outcomes for children here and around the world," says Dr. Lingadevaru.

In addition, Dayton Children’s is home to the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics and together with the United States Air Force shares the nation’s first ever civilian-military integrated pe­diatric training program.

For more information, contact: 
Stacy Porter 
Communications specialist 
Phone: 937-641-3666 
porters@childrensdayton.org

Dr. Andy McKinley and Lindsey McIntire begin procedure on Staff Sgt. William Raybon

3T MRI