Xiaodong Ma

Xiaodong Ma, PhD

Languages spoken: English, Chinese

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Radiology & Imaging Sciences

Research Statement

I am an MRI physicist and I am interested in developing advanced MRI techniques and validating their value in clinical applications. During my PhD I developed a series of high-resolution diffusion methods using multi-shot EPI and spiral, and successfully applied them to imaging different organs in patients, particularly in the spinal cord and pelvis. I extended these methods to ultra-high field MRI (7T) while I was a Postdoc Associate at University of Minnesota, by developing advanced brain MRI techniques including user-friendly parallel transmission (pTx), image reconstruction and denoising for diffusion MRI. Currently I am dedicated to develope fast and reliable multi-contrast MRI tools for neurovascular diseases, and translate their potential into the value of facilitating clinical practice.

Education History

Undergraduate Tsinghua University School of Medicine
 BE
Graduate Training Tsinghua University School of Medicine
 PhD

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Ma X, U'urbil K, Wu X (2022). Mitigating transmit-B1 artifacts by predicting parallel transmission images with deep learning: A feasibility study using high-resolution whole-brain diffusion at 7 Tesla.(Epub ahead of print). Magn Reson Med.
  2. Ma X, U'urbil K, Wu X (2020). Denoise magnitude diffusion magnetic resonance images via variance-stabilizing transformation and optimal singular-value manipulation. Neuroimage, 215, 116852.
  3. Ma X, Zhang Z, Dai E, Guo H (2016). Improved multi-shot diffusion imaging using GRAPPA with a compact kernel. Neuroimage, 138, 88-99.
  4. Ma X, Han X, Jiang W, Wang J, Zhang Z, Li G, Zhang J, Cheng X, Chen H, Guo H, Tian W (2018). A Follow-up Study of Postoperative DCM Patients Using Diffusion MRI with DTI and NODDI. Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 43(15), E898-E904.
  5. Han X, Ma X, Li D, Wang J, Jiang W, Cheng X, Li G, Guo H, Tian W (2020). The Evaluation and Prediction of Laminoplasty Surgery Outcome in Patients with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Using Diffusion Tensor MRI. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol, 41(9), 1745-1753.
  6. Guo H, Ma X, Zhang Z, Zhang B, Yuan C, Huang F (2016). POCS-enhanced inherent correction of motion-induced phase errors (POCS-ICE) for high-resolution multishot diffusion MRI. Magn Reson Med, 75(1), 169-80.
  7. Shang R, He L, Ma X, Ma Y, Li X (2020). Connectome-Based Model Predicts Deep Brain Stimulation Outcome in Parkinson's Disease. Front Comput Neurosci, 14, 571527.
  8. Wu Y, Ma X, Huang F, Guo H (2019). Common Information Enhanced Reconstruction for Accelerated High-resolution Multi-shot Diffusion Imaging. Magn Reson Imaging, 62, 28-37.
  9. An H, Ma X, Pan Z, Guo H, Lee EYP (2020). Qualitative and quantitative comparison of image quality between single-shot echo-planar and interleaved multi-shot echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging in female pelvis. Eur Radiol, 30(4), 1876-1884.
  10. Dai E, Zhang Z, Ma X, Dong Z, Li X, Xiong Y, Yuan C, Guo H (2018). The effects of navigator distortion and noise level on interleaved EPI DWI reconstruction: a comparison between image- and k-space-based method. Magn Reson Med, 80(5), 2024-2032.
  11. Jiang W, Han X, Guo H, Ma XD, Wang J, Cheng X, Yu A, Song Q, Shi K, Dai J (2018). Usefulness of conventional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging in evaluating postoperative function in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. J Orthop Translat, 15, 59-69.
  12. Dong Z, Dai E, Wang F, Zhang Z, Ma X, Yuan C, Guo H (2018). Model-based reconstruction for simultaneous multislice and parallel imaging accelerated multishot diffusion tensor imaging. Med Phys, 45(7), 3196-3204.
  13. Guo L, Huang F, Xu Z, Mei Y, Fang W, Ma X, Dai E, Guo H, Feng Q, Chen W, Feng Y (2018). eIRIS: Eigen-analysis approach for improved spine multi-shot diffusion MRI. Magn Reson Imaging, 50, 134-140.
  14. Wang Y, Ma X, Zhang Z, Dai E, Jeong HK, Xie B, Yuan C, Guo H (2018). A comparison of readout segmented EPI and interleaved EPI in high-resolution diffusion weighted imaging. Magn Reson Imaging, 47, 39-47.
  15. Dong Z, Wang F, Ma X, Dai E, Zhang Z, Guo H (2018). Motion-corrected k-space reconstruction for interleaved EPI diffusion imaging. Magn Reson Med, 79(4), 1992-2002.
  16. Dong Z, Wang F, Ma X, Zhang Z, Dai E, Yuan C, Guo H (2018). Interleaved EPI diffusion imaging using SPIRiT-based reconstruction with virtual coil compression. Magn Reson Med, 79(3), 1525-1531.
  17. Li X, Ma X, Li L, Zhang Z, Zhang X, Tong Y, Wang L, Sen Song, Guo H (2018). Dual-TRACER: High resolution fMRI with constrained evolution reconstruction. Neuroimage, 164, 172-182.
  18. Guan L, Chen X, Hai Y, Ma X, He L, Wang G, Yuan C, Guo H (2017). High-resolution diffusion tensor imaging in cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a preliminary follow-up study. NMR Biomed, 30(10).
  19. Hu Z, Ma X, Truong TK, Song AW, Guo H (2017). Phase-updated regularized SENSE for navigator-free multishot diffusion imaging. Magn Reson Med, 78(1), 172-181.
  20. Dai E, Ma X, Zhang Z, Yuan C, Guo H (2017). Simultaneous multislice accelerated interleaved EPI DWI using generalized blipped-CAIPI acquisition and 3D K-space reconstruction. Magn Reson Med, 77(4), 1593-1605.
  21. Shi X, Ma X, Wu W, Huang F, Yuan C, Guo H (2015). Parallel imaging and compressed sensing combined framework for accelerating high-resolution diffusion tensor imaging using inter-image correlation. Magn Reson Med, 73(5), 1775-85.
  22. Zhang Z, Huang F, Ma X, Xie S, Guo H (2015). Self-feeding MUSE: a robust method for high resolution diffusion imaging using interleaved EPI. Neuroimage, 105, 552-60.
  23. Li X, Cao T, Tong Y, Ma X, Niu Z, Guo H (2020). Deep residual network for highly accelerated fMRI reconstruction using variable density spiral trajector. Neurocomputing (Amst), 398, 338-46.
  24. Zhu W, Ma X, Zhu XH, Ugurbil K, Chen W, Wu X (2022). Denoise Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging With Random Matrix Theory Based Principal Component Analysis. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng, 69(11), 3377-3388.
  25. Hu Z, Zhang Z, Ma X, Jing J, Guo H (2023). Technical note: Revised projections onto convex sets reconstruction of multi-shot diffusion-weighted imaging. Med Phys, 50(2), 980-992.
  26. Pan Z, Ma X, Dai E, Auerbach EJ, Guo H, U'urbil K, Wu X (2023). Reconstruction for 7T high-resolution whole-brain diffusion MRI using two-stage N/2 ghost correction and L1-SPIRiT without single-band reference. Magn Reson Med, 89(5), 1915-1930.
  27. Li G, Ma X, Li S, Ye X, Börnert P, Zhou XJ, Guo H (2023). Comparison of uniform-density, variable-density, and dual-density spiral samplings for multi-shot DWI. Magn Reson Med, 90(1), 133-149.
  28. Wang C, Han X, Ma X, Jiang W, Wang J, Li S, Guo H, Tian W, Chen H (2024). Spinal cord perfusion is associated with microstructural damage in cervical spondylotic myelopathy patients who underwent cervical laminoplasty. Eur Radiol, 34(2), 1349-1357.
  29. Shao X, Zhang Z, Ma X, Liu F, Guo H, Ugurbil K, Wu (2025). Parallel-transmission spatial spectral pulse design with local specific absorption rate control: Demonstration for robust uniform water-selective excitation in the human brain at 7 T. Magnetic resonance in medicine, 93(3), 1238-1255.
  30. HashemizadehKolowri S, Akcicek EY, Akcicek H, Ma X, Ferguson MS, Balu N, Hatsukami TS, Yuan (2024). Efficient and Accurate 3D Thickness Measurement in Vessel Wall Imaging: Overcoming Limitations of 2D Approaches Using the Laplacian Method. Journal of cardiovascular development and disease, 11(8),
  31. Zeng GL, Ma X, Yuan (2024). One-Step Image Reconstruction for Cine MRI with a Quadratic Constraint. International journal of biomedical research & practice, 4(2),
  32. Akcicek EY, Hashemizadeh K, Akcicek H, Kim SE, Hadley JR, Roberts J, Wang X, Guo Y, Balu N, McNally JS, Parker DL, Yuan C, Ma (2025). Qualitative and quantitative reproducibility of 3D MERGE and SNAP sequences for carotid vessel wall imaging across Siemens and Philips 3T scanners. Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery, 15(4), 3111-3122.
  33. Ye X, Ma X, Pan Z, Zhang Z, Guo H, U'urbil K, Wu (2025). Denoising complex-valued diffusion MR images using a two-step, nonlocal principal component analysis approach. Magnetic resonance in medicine, 93(6), 2473-2487.
  34. Han X, Ma X, Li D, Wang J, Jiang W, Li G, Cheng X, Guo H, Tian (2022). Application of Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging to Evaluate and Predict the Surgical Outcome for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy. Orthopaedic surgery, 14(7), 1482-1488.