Scientists Announce First Demonstration of Connectome 2.0 Ultra‑High‑Resolution MRI Scanner

LONDON - July 28, 2025 - PRLog -- Researchers supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed today the successful development and first demonstration of Connectome 2.0, a next‑generation MRI system capable of non‑invasively imaging microscopic nerve structures that were previously undetectable in living humans.

Using diffusion MRI enhanced by gradient strengths up to 500 mT/m—roughly 18‑fold higher sensitivity than conventional clinical scanners—Connectome 2.0 can reconstruct intricate nerve pathways in the human brainstem, diencephalon, and fibre tracts with unprecedented clarit. The system integrates ultra‑strong diffusion‑encoding gradients, a 72‑channel head receive coil, and advanced field monitoring to maximize spatial resolution and signal fidelity.

The initial images showcase previously invisible microstructural nerve bundles in neural circuits implicated in neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. These include pathways thought to be disrupted in conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and schizophrenia.

NIH scientists describe the achievement as a major leap forward for human connectomics and precision neuroimaging. Connectome 2.0 offers the potential to transform diagnosis, clinical tracking, and research of brain disorders by enabling direct visualization of anatomical alterations at the cellular level in seated human subjects.

This breakthrough follows earlier limitations of conventional MRI, which lacked sufficient resolution to resolve microscopic changes in white‑matter microstructure and nerve fibre orientation. The new system resolves these limitations through hardware innovations and optimized imaging protocols.

Researchers intend to apply Connectome 2.0 imaging in forthcoming clinical studies of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. They will correlate structural microarchitecture with functional outcomes, disease progression, and treatment response. Further validation and longitudinal imaging trials are planned in collaboration with NIH BRAIN Initiative partners.

This milestone marks a pivotal moment in biomedical imaging and opens new avenues for exploring the neural underpinnings of brain health and disease.