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Understanding the brain and treating its disorders increasingly depends on advanced imaging. Our research innovation ‘Imaging & Image Guided Interventions’ brings together state-of-the-art scanning technologies, image analysis, and minimally invasive techniques to both study the brain in unprecedented detail and guide treatments with exceptional precision. 

A key strength of our work lies in integrating imaging into the full care pathway, including early diagnosis and personalised treatment planning, as well as real-time guidance during complex interventions. Using methods such as ultra-high field MRI, AI-driven 3D reconstructions, and real-time augmented reality, we can visualise the brain’s structure and function with remarkable clarity. These capabilities not only deepen our understanding of neurological processes but also enable safer, more targeted therapies.

Breakthroughs and impact

Our research spans a broad range of applications, from predicting treatment outcomes in psychiatry, to developing novel ways of delivering drugs past the blood–brain barrier, to creating less invasive approaches for treating brain vascular disorders and tumours. By combining technical innovation with clinical expertise, we ensure that new imaging and intervention strategies move swiftly from lab to clinic.

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  Neurovascular intervential radiology

  Our researchers working in neurointerventional radiology use advanced imaging and minimally invasive techniques to treat complex brain vascular disorders such as aneurysms, strokes, and arteriovenous malformations. Microcatheters are guided through the blood vessels and used to precisely target and treat abnormalities with coils, stents, embolic agents or radioembolization without the need for open surgery. Key innovations in Utrecht in this field are centered on image-guided endovascular treatments for intracranial aneurysms, brain AVMs, and neuro-oncology.

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  Focused ultrasound opens blood-brain barrier

  Recently, researchers from Utrecht have started investigating focused ultrasound to temporarily and precisely open the blood-brain barrier in brainstem cancer. Using microbubbles and ultrasound, medication may be able to reach the tumor more effectively. The technique is MRI-guided and appears to be safe and reversible. The first clinical study started in 2025. This approach also holds promise for new therapies, drug repurposing, and improved diagnostics for both brain tumors and other brain diseases.  

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  AI and AR in neurosurgery

  To better support neurosurgeons worldwide, our researchers have developed an innovative technology powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR). This technology automatically transforms standard 2D medical scans into interactive 3D holograms of the brain, including blood vessels and other essential structures. It allows surgeons to view each patient’s unique anatomy in unprecedented detail and better prepare for complex procedures. 

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  Sensory, cognitive and neuroimaging

  In Utrecht, we are investigating how the brain responds to and processes sensory inputs, and how this processing supports the cognitive functions of the human mind. Advanced neuroimaging methods have been developed and applied. Using ultra-high field fMRI allows for measuring the brain’s responses with exceptional sensitivity and spatial precision in individual humans. The current focus of this research is on responses to the position, number and timing of sensory inputs and how these responses are affected by factors like attention and task difficulty. 

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  More personalized treatments for mental health problems with innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality, are now integrated into psychiatric research, making treatments more accessible and effective. Our researchers to assess the effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depression. By analyzing data from 1,900 patients, we identified key factors predicting ECT success, allowing for more informed decision-making and improved outcomes for patients with depression. Beyond technical innovations, we are developing implementations of the prediction tool in Utrecht and mental health care centers across the Netherlands.