Jeffrey Berman
· Ph.D.VerifiedUniversity of Pennsylvania · Rehabilitation Medicine
Active 1971–2025
About
Jeffrey Berman, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor of Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. He is also a Senior Scientist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Department of Radiology, Division of Research, located in Philadelphia, PA. His educational background includes a BSE in Bioengineering and Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering and Applied Science, obtained in 2000, and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the joint program of the University of California, Berkeley, and UCSF, completed in 2005. Dr. Berman's research focuses on neuroimaging and electrophysiological activity, with significant contributions to understanding brain function through advanced MRI techniques. His work involves studying neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, neurofibromatosis, and pediatric brain injury, utilizing multimodal neuroimaging and machine learning approaches. He has contributed to the understanding of auditory system conduction velocity, resting-state brain activity, and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children, with a particular emphasis on brain maturation and connectivity. His research aims to improve diagnostic and prognostic tools for neurological conditions in pediatric populations, advancing the field of radiology and neuroimaging.
Research topics
- Medicine
- Artificial Intelligence
- Computer Science
- Neuroscience
- Nuclear magnetic resonance
- Genetics
- Nuclear medicine
- Psychology
- Physics
- Biology
- Psychiatry
Selected publications
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association · 2025-01-22
article1st authorCorrespondingJournal of the American Psychoanalytic Association · 2025-07-03
article1st authorCorrespondingNeurology · 2025-04-07
articleSenior authorEvaluate associations between structural abnormalities in cerebellar peduncles (CP), executive functioning (EF) deficits, ADHD symptoms, and behavioral outcomes in youth with Neurofibromatosis Type I (NF1).
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association · 2025-01-22
article1st authorCorrespondingNeuro-Oncology · 2025-11-01
articleOpen accessAbstract In contrast to conventional 1H MRI, which primarily reveals water molecule distribution, with only indirect association with the physico-chemical microenvironment, 23Na (sodium) MRI and chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) have a more direct physiological interpretation, reflecting biochemical and physiologic changes in the cells of tissues, e.g. cell integrity and tissue viability allowing for direct assessment of cell membrane sodium ion channel function. Sodium concentrations are measurable by 23Na MRI and mobile proteins are measured with CEST [Amide Proton Transfer (APT) signal intensity]; when these are elevated, they have shown to be markers of tumors and proliferation. In this study, we acquired 23Na MRIs and APT in children with central nervous system (CNS) tumors and typically-developing (TD) pediatric controls. Sodium concentrations and APT signal were analyzed in regions of normal brain (brainstem, cerebellum, cerebral cortical grey matter, cerebral white matter, basal ganglia, hippocampus, thalamus) of TD controls and in pediatric brain tumors. The sodium concentration and APT in tumors were compared to homologous regions of the brains of TD controls. We hypothesized that sodium concentrations and APT signal will be greater in tumors compared to healthy brain in TD controls. We also analyzed the repeatability of subjects that received 23Na MRIs and CEST at two timepoints. Preliminary data demonstrates elevated sodium concentrations and APT signal in pediatric brain tumors (n = 5) compared to TD controls (n = 3). There was repeatability at two timepoints with consistent sodium concentrations and APT signal in TD controls (n = 3) and in pediatric brain tumors (n = 4). In conclusion, performing 23Na-MRI and CEST is feasible in pediatric patients with brain tumors. Future work will help answer the complex questions in monitoring treatment of pediatric patients with brain tumors: is there residual or recurrent tumor and differentiating tumor progression versus pseudoprogression.
IMG-07. Technological Advancements of Sodium MRI in Pediatric Brain Tumors
Neuro-Oncology Pediatrics · 2025-08-01
articleOpen accessAbstract Sodium MRI (23Na-MRI) derives its signal from spin-manipulation of the 23Na nucleus itself, in contrast to conventional 1H-MRI which utilizes the hydrogen nuclei on water molecules. Advances in coil design and pulse sequence development have enabled the feasibility of human in-vivo 23Na-MRI. 23Na-MRI has potential to be a useful non-invasive imaging technique to assess biochemical and physiologic cellular changes in brain tumors. Pathologically, the concentration of total sodium is elevated in tumors relative to normal counterparts due to increased intracellular sodium and/or an increased proportion of extracellular space (reflecting changes in cell morphology and anomalies of homeostasis). We will present the technological advancements with improved pulse sequences and reconstruction methods that combat the inherent challenges of measuring sodium concentrations in pediatric brain tumors. This improved imaging approach to measuring sodium concentration within viable tumors in comparison to necrotic components and uninvolved brain will be illustrated in case examples of pediatric patients with brain tumors. One example case included a pediatric patient with a diffuse midline glioma. Diagnostic imaging showed a T2 hyperintense expansile mass in the pons. After completion of radiation treatment, there was a significant decrease in size and T2 hyperintensity of the mass. At the same timepoint after radiation, sodium MRI was performed and demonstrated a focus of elevated sodium concentrations in a region of tumor; this region may have represented active tumor versus treatment effect. Follow-up conventional MRI, two months after radiation cessation demonstrated tumor progression in the region of the prior sodium elevation. This case supports the hypothesis that elevated sodium signal may represent an early biomarker of tumor progression/recurrence. In conclusion, 23Na-MRI will likely answer the complex questions unresolved on 1H MRI that arise in monitoring treatment of pediatric patients with brain tumors: is there residual or recurrent tumor and differentiating tumor progression versus pseudoprogression.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2025-01-23
preprintOpen accessAbstract Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is common in adolescents. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) studies (primarily reporting on adult males) have demonstrated abnormal resting-state (RS) brain activity in mTBI. The present study sought to identify RS abnormalities in male and female adolescents with mTBI (no previous mTBI and no previous DSM-5 diagnosis) identified from an outpatient specialty care concussion program setting as a basis for evaluating potential clinical utility. Visit 1 MEG RS data were obtained from 46 adolescents with mTBI (mean age: 15.4 years, 25 females) within 4 months of a mTBI (mTBI acute to sub-acute period) as well as from 34 typically developing (TD) controls (mean age: 14.8 years; 17 females) identified from the local community. Visit 2 RS data (follow-up ∼4.3 months after Visit 1; mTBI sub-chronic period) were obtained from 36 mTBI (19 females) and 29 TD (14 females) of those participants. Source-space RS neural activity was examined from 4 to 56 Hz. Visit 1 t-tests showed that group differences were largest in the beta range (16-30 Hz; mTBI < TD), with Visit 2 whole-brain linear mixed model (LMM) analyses examining beta-band group differences as a function of Visit. A main effect of Group indicated Visit 1 and 2 beta-band group differences in midline superior frontal gyrus, right temporal pole, and right central sulcus (all mTBI < TD). The group effects were large (Cohen’s d values 0.75 to 1.31). Of clinical significance in the mTBI group, a decrease in mTBI symptoms from Visit 1 to 2 was associated with an increase in beta power in 4 other brain regions. Present findings suggest that RS beta power has potential as a measure and perhaps as a mechanism of clinical recovery in adolescents with mTBI.
Journal of Neurotrauma · 2025-10-06
articleMild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is common in adolescents. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) studies (primarily reporting on adult males) have demonstrated abnormal resting-state (RS) brain activity in mTBI. The present study sought to identify RS abnormalities in male and female adolescents with mTBI (no previous Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th Edition diagnosis) identified from an outpatient specialty care concussion program setting as a basis for evaluating potential clinical utility. Visit 1 MEG RS data were obtained from 46 adolescents with mTBI (mean age: 15.4 years, 25 females) within 4 months of a mTBI (mTBI acute to subacute period) as well as from 34 typically developing (TD) controls (mean age: 14.8 years; 17 females) identified from the local community. Visit 2 RS data (follow-up ∼4.3 months after Visit 1; mTBI subchronic period) were obtained from 36 mTBI (19 females) and 29 TD (14 females) of those participants. Source-space RS neural activity was examined from 4 to 56 Hz. Visit 1 t-tests showed that group differences were largest in the beta range (16–30 Hz; mTBI < TD), with whole-brain linear mixed model (LMM) analyses examining beta-band group differences as a function of Visit. A main effect of Group indicated Visits 1 and 2 beta-band group differences in midline superior frontal gyrus, right temporal pole, and right central sulcus (all mTBI < TD). The group effects were large (Cohen’s d values 0.75 to 1.31). Of clinical significance in the mTBI group, a decrease in mTBI symptoms from Visit 1 to 2 was associated with an increase in beta power in 4 other brain regions. Present findings suggest that RS beta power has potential as a measure and perhaps as a mechanism of clinical recovery in adolescents with mTBI.
Molecular Autism · 2025-03-11 · 3 citations
articleOpen accessWe and others have demonstrated the resting-state (RS) peak alpha frequency (PAF) as a potential clinical marker for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with previous studies observing a higher PAF in school-age children with ASD versus typically developing (TD) children, as well as an association between the RS PAF and measures of processing speed in TD but not ASD. The brain mechanisms associated with these findings are unknown. A few studies have found that in children more mature optic radiation white matter is associated with a higher PAF. Other studies have reported white matter and neural activity associations in TD but not ASD. The present study hypothesized that group differences in the RS PAF are due, in part, to group differences in optic radiation white matter and PAF associations. The maturation of the RS PAF (measured using magnetoencephalography(MEG)), optic radiation white matter (measured using diffusion tensor imaging(DTI)), and associations with processing speed were assessed in a longitudinal cohort of TD and ASD children. Time 1 MEG and DTI measures were obtained at 6-8 years old (59TD and 56ASD) with follow-up brain measures collected ~ 1.5 and ~ 3 years later. The parietal-occipital PAF increased with age in both groups by 0.13 Hz/year, with a main effect of group showing the expected higher PAF in ASD than TD (an average of 0.26 Hz across the 3 time points). Across age, the RS PAF predicted processing speed in TD but not ASD. Finally, more mature optic radiation white matter measures (FA, RD, MD, AD) were associated with a higher PAF in both groups. Present findings provide additional evidence supporting the use of the RS PAF as a brain marker in children with ASD 6-10 years old, and replicate findings of an association between the RS PAF and processing speed in TD but not ASD. The hypothesis that the RS PAF group differences (with ASD leading TD by about 2 years) would be explained by group differences in optic radiation white matter was not supported, with brain structure-function associations indicating that more mature optic radiation white matter is associated with a higher RS PAF in both groups.
Functional and structural maturation of auditory cortex from 2 months to 2 years old
Clinical Neurophysiology · 2024-08-15 · 3 citations
articleOpen accessBACKGROUND: In school-age children, the myelination of the auditory radiation thalamocortical pathway is associated with the latency of auditory evoked responses, with the myelination of thalamocortical axons facilitating the rapid propagation of acoustic information. Little is known regarding this auditory system function-structure association in infants and toddlers. METHODS AND PARTICIPANTS: The present study tested the hypothesis that maturation of auditory radiation white-matter microstructure (e.g., fractional anisotropy (FA); measured using diffusion-weighted MRI) is associated with the latency of the infant auditory response (the P2m response, measured using magnetoencephalography, MEG) in a cross-sectional (N = 47, 2 to 24 months, 19 females) as well as longitudinal cohort (N = 18, 2 to 29 months, 8 females) of typically developing infants and toddlers. Of 18 longitudinal infants, 2 infants had data from 3 timepoints and 16 infants had data from 2 timepoints. RESULTS: In the cross-sectional sample, non-linear maturation of P2m latency and auditory radiation diffusion measures were observed. Auditory radiation diffusion accounted for significant variance in P2m latency, even after removing the variance associated with age in both P2m latency and auditory radiation diffusion measures. In the longitudinal sample, latency and FA associations could be observed at the level of a single child. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide strong support for the hypothesis that an increase in thalamocortical neural conduction velocity, due to increased axon diameter and/or myelin maturation, contributes to a decrease in the infant P2m auditory evoked response latency. SIGNIFICANCE: Infant multimodal brain imaging identifies brain mechanisms contributing to the rapid changes in neural circuit activity during the first two years of life.
Recent grants
Phase-Amplitude Coupling and Dysfunction in ASD
NIH · $473k · 2017–2019
Structural and Functional Neuroimaging of the Auditory System in Autism
NIH · $632k · 2012–2017
Frequent coauthors
- 177 shared
Timothy P. L. Roberts
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- 98 shared
J. Christopher Edgar
- 89 shared
Lisa Blaskey
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- 69 shared
Emily S. Kuschner
University of Pennsylvania
- 65 shared
Luke Bloy
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- 45 shared
Song Liu
- 37 shared
Matthew Ku
Imaging Center
- 36 shared
Pratik Mukherjee
University of California, San Francisco
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