Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging & Developmental Science Center

Dr. Takahashi trained as a medical student for five years and then received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Chiba University School of Medicine in Japan. She began pursuing interests in non-invasive imaging of brain function and anatomical connectivity at Boston University School of Medicine. During this time, she studied whole brain anatomical connectivity related to long-term memory systems using diffusion tractography and functional imaging. She then pursued an interest in high-resolution diffusion imaging of whole brain connectivity, especially of the developing brain at Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Children's Hospital.

Dr. Takahashi is currently working on an analysis of connectivity in the developing brains of humans and animals, from the fetus to the young adult. She is also examining the relationship of this connectivity to emerging gyral morphometry, and using histological techniques to confirm her results. Her long-term research goal is to understand the uniqueness of human brain development, mainly by applying and further improving diffusion MRI techniques with combining additional methods.

Her research interests include:

• Application of diffusion tractography to the study of brain connectivity in humans and animals.
• Development of brain connectivity ranging from the fetus to young adult.
• Relationships between white matter development and emerging brain functions.
• Comparative brain connectivity study on developing brains across species.