Dr. Potchen’s research interest include utilizing advanced imaging technology, such as MRI to better understand tropical conditions that impact large populations of individuals in regions where such technology has not generally been available. He is presently engaged in a Malawi-based cerebral malaria study. Malaria continues to be a significant disease entity throughout the world with 2.7 million deaths
attributed to it each year. Cerebral malaria accounts for 50% of under-5’s mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Approximately 70-90% of childhood cerebral malaria victims survive, and many of these children suffer from neurological sequelae, including cognitive deficits, behavioral problems, and epilepsy. Despite the huge global burden of malaria, we know little about the process of brain injury that occurs in survivors. Understanding neurologic injury in survivors requires neuroimaging with MRI. Attempts to image cerebral malaria have been extremely limited. The dearth of imaging information in childhood cerebral malaria is largely due to the lack of MRI facilities in malaria endemic regions.
In July 2008, General Electric Health Systems completed the installation of a donated MRI unit for use within MSU’s Blantyre-based malaria research program. The availability of MRI technology in Blantyre opens up new areas of evaluation and understanding of childhood cerebral malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Potchen is presently a co-investigator on two NIH funded RO1 research grants based out of Malawi. This work will allow malaria researchers to gain insight into how the pathological findings of cerebral malaria appear among living children. Future studies may include MRI evaluations in patients with spinal schistosomiasis, CNS onchocerciasis, and HIV-related disorders within Malawi.
Dr. Potchen is a core faculty member of Michigan State University’s African Studies Center and Michigan State University’s International Neurologic & Psychiatric Epidemiology Program (INPEP).
Community of Science Profile
Selected publications from past research
Delano MC, Cooper TG, Siebert JE, Potchen MJ, Kuppusamy K. High b-Value Diffusion-Weighted MRI of Adult Brain: Image Contrast and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient Map Features. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 2000 21: 1830-1836.
Potchen EJ, Cooper TG, Sierra AE, Aben GR, Potchen MJ, Potter MG, Siebert JE. Measuring performance in chest radiology. Radiology; 2000; 217:456-459.
Symonds LL, Bixby J, Potchen MJ, Cooper TG, Potchen EJ. Cortical Areas That Potentially Code Pain Intensity Information: An fMRI Study. Neuroimage 2001; 13:946.
DeLano MC, Koon P, Knight TE, Kolinko K, Potchen MJ. 3T Imaging of the Orbits and Internal Auditory Canals: Fast Spin Echo Sequence Optimization. 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Head and Neck Radiology. Rancho Mirage, CA. October 1-5, 2003.
Bozoki A, Delano M, Huang J, Potchen M. Diffusion tensor imaging of the fornix in Alzheimer's Disease. Neurology 2004; 62(7) Suppl. 5: A126.
Korzeniewski S, Birbeck G, DeLano M, Potchen MJ, Paneth N. A systematic review of neuroimaging for cerebral palsy. Journal of Child Neurology 2008;23(2):216-227
Birbeck GL, Potchen MJ, Kaplan K, Molyneux M, Taylor T. EEG & neuroimaging findings in Malawian childhood cerebral malaria survivors. Neurology 2007;12 (suppl1):A138
GL. Birbeck, TE Taylor, ME Molyneux, MJ Potchen, E Mwandira, M Sapuwa, M Jafuli, & PW Kaplan. EEG correlates in acute cerebral malaria and neurologic outcomes: Findings from the Blantyre Malaria Project Epilepsy Study. American Journal Clinical Neurophysiology
Potchen MJ, Birbeck GL, Demarco JK, Kampondeni SD, Molyneux ME, Beare N, Taylor TE. Neuroimaging Findings in Children with Ophthalmologically Confirmed Cerebral Malaria. (Submitted to European Journal of Radiology in Nov. ’08)
Kampondeni SD, Potchen MJ. An Update on the Status of Radiology in Malawi. Submitted to World Nuerology in November 2008
Latourette MT, Siebert JE, Marable KL, Potchen MJ, Barto RJ, Hammond CA, Muyepa A. Magnetic Resonance Teleradiology in Sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and Implementation, Proceedings of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine, Charlotte, 2009 (abstract accepted)
Funded Research:
Co-Investigator
5/1/07-4/31/12
Clinicopathologic correlates of cerebral malaria
NIH/NIAID R01 AI0349696-10A1 (PI Taylor)
This proposal incorporated MRI and autopsy investigations into the study of severe malaria at the Blantyre Malaria Project.
Co-Investigator 9/1/04-3/31/09
Is cerebral malaria a risk factor for epilepsy?
NIH/NINDS K23 NS046086-01 (PI Birbeck)
This Malawi-based research utilizes both prospective and retrospective epidemiological study designs to determine if cerebral malaria is a risk factor for epilepsy among cerebral malaria survivors admitted to the Blantyre Malaria Project’s Research Ward at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.
Pending Research Funding:
Principal Investigator
Assuring Long Term Sustainable Malawian Neuroradiologic Expertise: A training curriculum for enhancing research and clinical capacity in Malawi
Kellogg foundation
Grant to train further physicians and technicians to maintain radiologic expertise in support of theMalawi MRI.
Consultant
Stroke Epidemiology in Faisalabad, Pakistan
NIH/NINDS
This K99R00 proposal includes hospital and community-based epidemiological studies of stroke to provide descriptive epidemiologic data as well as elucidate potentially unique risk factors in the region.
Co-Investigator
Identifying Cerebral Malaria Patients with a handheld device
Gates – Bill and Melinda Foundation
To develop an MRI technique for the quantification of Hemazoin, a byproduct of Malarial infection, which can be use as a gold standard for the development of a simple clinical handheld tool to determine the status of children presenting with coma and serum parasites.
Past Funding:
Co-Investigator 4/1/03-3/31/06
Depression and Altered Pain Perception
NIH/PHS
Co-Investigator 11/15/99
Cognitive and Emotional States and the self-report of pain
Fetzer- John E. Institute Inc.
Co-Investigator 5/15/99-9/15/00
Representation of acute pain in the Human cortex and thalamus: An fMRI study in normal individuals and chronic pain patients