ABOUT US
For over three decades, we've been at the forefront
of brain imaging methods and neurological health.
The World's First Fully-Integrated Brain Mapping Center Is Born
In 1991, John Mazziotta, M.D., Ph.D. identified the need for the world’s first fully integrated center that would utilize all available brain imaging methods to study the structure and function of the human brain in health and disease.
In 1993, The Brain Mapping Medical Research Organization (BMMRO) and Brain Mapping Support Foundaton (BMSF) were established as collaborating nonprofit organizations with a mission to support the UCLA Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center (ALBMC) as well as other brain mapping efforts. Our research perspective is global and we seek to maintain and develop national and international collaborations to pursue this mission. The BMMRO and BMSF have procured over $33 million for Brain Mapping since inception.
Key Philanthropic Partners Get Involved
Through the involvement of key philanthropic partners (The Ahmanson Foundation, Jon and Lillian Lovelace, Dr. S. Jerome and Judith Tamkin, as well as others) a custom facility was built on the UCLA campus, outfitted with state-of–the-art equipment and a talented faculty was recruited.
The result was a new center, opening its doors in 1998, with modern imaging instruments under one roof, providing a physical and virtual intersection for established and future generations of investigators seeking to use brain imaging techniques to better understand brain structure and function.
In 2023-2024, the ALBMC underwent extensive renovation thanks to a generous gift provided by Laurie and Steven Gordon. The PET laboratory was enlarged, and a new suite of dedicated rooms was created adjacent to the 3 Tesla MRI scanner. A new Siemens Biograph mMR, combining PET and 3 Tesla MRI in a single scanner, was sited in the PET laboratory with support from The Ahmanson Foundation.
Located In The Heart Of UCLA's Neuroscience Hub
Situated in the midst of UCLA’s neuroscience hub, the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center is a 13,000 square foot facility built to maximize and augment brain mapping techniques. The Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center was the first institution in the world to amass the most advanced brain imaging equipment in one central location.
Physical resources include Positron Emission Tomography (Siemens mMR, a combined 3 Tesla MR/PET scanner), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Siemens Prisma 3 Tesla scanner), a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) lab and a custom-built electroencephalography (EEG) laboratory.
The International Consortium For Brain Mapping (ICBM) Is Founded
The Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center initiated and organized the International Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM), a collaboration of international brain mapping organization brought together with the goal to create the first comprehensive atlas of the structure and function of the normal human brain, which was completed approximately fifteen years ago.
Other programs and collaborations within the BMMRO include The Narr Group with Dr. Katherine Narr, The Iacoboni Lab and The Shattuck Group with Dr. David Shattuck.
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