MRI method development · Magdeburg

Hendrik Mattern

Junior Professor for High-Field MR Methods in Neuroimaging

I develop MRI methods to image the brain at the mesoscopic scale and to quantify neurofluids—from small vessels and perivascular spaces to their relationships with anatomy, aging, and disease.

Portrait of Hendrik Mattern

Research

My research themes are closely connected: high spatial resolution reveals small structures, motion correction preserves that detail, and quantitative tools turn vessel and neurofluid images into measures of physiology and pathology.

Ultra-high-resolution structural brain MRI comparison
01

Ultra-high-field and mesoscopic MRI

I use 7T MRI to image the human brain at the mesoscopic scale and have acquired in-vivo images with isotropic resolution down to 140 µm.

  • 7T MRI
  • High resolution
  • Image contrast
Principle of prospective MRI motion tracking and correction
02

Motion correction

High-resolution imaging succeeds only when small head movements can be measured and corrected with comparable precision.

  • Prospective correction
  • Tracking
  • Image fidelity
High-resolution arterial angiography and QSM-derived cerebral venography
03

Neurofluid imaging

MRI offers a non-invasive view of arteries, veins, perivascular spaces, and other fluid-filled compartments. I study their structure and function, and their links to aging, vascular health, and neurological disease.

  • Vessels
  • Perivascular spaces
  • Brain clearance
Vessel distance mapping workflow from MRI to segmentation and distance map
04

Vessel distance mapping

Vessel distance mapping connects segmented vascular networks with the surrounding anatomy. The framework supports quantitative analysis of vessel patterns in MRI and has also been applied to microscopy data.

  • Segmentation
  • Quantification
  • Open tools

Funding

Details of my current and completed DFG-funded research projects are available in the GEPRIS research information system.

Collaboration

Research across borders is central to MRI method development, bringing together physics, engineering, neuroscience, and clinical research. The map shows where my coauthors are based around the world.

Interactive overview of international coauthor locations

Teaching

I have taught at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg since 2018.

01

Physics I & II

Since the 2025 summer semester, I have been responsible for the Physics I & II module in the bachelor's program Engineering Science.

02

Basics of Magnetic Resonance

I have been responsible for the exercises in this course every winter semester since 2019.

03

Physics for Engineers

From 2018 to 2025, I led physics exercises in winter and supervised laboratory experiments in summer.

I am an engineer by training and Junior Professor for High-Field MR Methods in Neuroimaging at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (since March 2025). My work connects MRI physics and quantitative image analysis with questions in neuroscience and neurology.

I am always open to research collaborations and to supervising students on MRI sequence development, image reconstruction, vascular image analysis, and motion correction. Please feel free to reach out.