As a physicist specializing in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), I am developing a non-invasive empirical method to diagnose Alzheimer's Disease and other nervous system disorders in their earliest stages.  I am also using MRI to follow the effectiveness of treatment regimes over the course of time.  (The image below the sort of imaging the group does.)

Beta-Amyloid Plaques Visualized In Vivo Without the Use of Contrast Agents. An axial section from a 3D T2*-weighted image of a transgenic mouse is shown in Figure a. Plaques are shown with arrows. The histological section is shown in Figure b. Figures c and d show a magnified version of a portion of the MRI and histological section respectively. Figure e shows a magnified version of the raw, unsmoothed MRI showing the location of the two punctate hypointense areas seen in Figure c.

Recent publications from the lab on myelin disorders(such as Multiple Sclerosis)

MacKenzie-Graham A, Tiwari-Woodruff SK, Sharma G, Aguilar C, Vo KT, Strickland LV, Morales L, Fubara B, Martin M, Jacobs RE, Johnson GA, Toga AW, Voskuhl RR, Purkinje cell loss in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, Neuroimage 48 (2009), 637-651.

Martin M, Reyes SD, Hiltner TD, Givogri MI, Tyszka JM, Fisher R, Campagnoni AT, Fraser SE, Jacobs RE, Readhead C. T2-weighted uMRI and Evoked Potential of the Visual System Measurements During the Development of Hypomyelinated Transgenic Mice, Neurochemical Research 32 (2): 159-165, 2007.

Martin M, Hiltner TD, Wood JC, Fraser SE, Jacobs RE, Readhead C. Myelin Deficiencies Visualized In Vivo: Visually Evoked Potentials and T2 weighted MR images of Shiverer Mutant and Wildtype Mice, Journal of Neuroscience Research, 84 (8), 1716-1726 (2006).

MacKenzie-Graham A, Tinsley MR, Shah KP, Aguilar C, Strickland LV, Boline J, Martin M,  Morales L, Shattuck DW, Jacobs RE, Voskuhl RR, Toga AW. Cerebellar cortical atrophy in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, Neuroimage 32, 2006, 1016-1023.

Jacobs EC, Pribyl TM, Kampf K, Campagnoni C, Messing A, Reyes SD, Martin M, Handley VW, Hiltner TD, Readhead C, Jacobs RE, Fisher RS, and Campagnoni AT. Region-specific myelin pathology in mice lacking the golli products of the Myelin Basic Protein gene, Journal of Neuroscience July 27, 2005 - 25(30):7004-7013. Erratum in: J Neurosci. 2005 Dec 14;25(50)

Recent conference presentations on Alzheimer's disease:

Thiessen JD, Collister K, Nafez S, Schellenberg AE, Buist R, Martin M, and Albensi BC. Histochemical visualization and diffusion MRI at 7 Tesla in the TgCRND8 transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease. Brain Structure and Function (2010), 215:29-36.

Odero GL, Oikawa K, Collister K, Grossman D, Thiessen JD, Motnenko A, Ge N, Martin M, Glazner GW, Albensi BC, and Schapansky J. Evidence for the involvement of calbindin D28k in the presenilin 1 model of Alzheimer's disease. Neuroscience 169 (2010), 532-543.

Thiessen JD, Collister KA, Kurjewicz LM, Del Bigio MR, Albensi BC, Martin M. Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Behavioural Test Comparisons in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease, Physics in Canada 63 (3):134-137, 2007.

Other recent MRI publications:

Ruffins SW, Martin M, Keough L, Troung S, Fraser SE, Jacobs RE, Landford R, Digital Three-Dimensional Atlas of Quail Development Using High-Resolution MRI, TSW Development and Embryology (2007) 2 47-59.

McCrea R, Harder S, Martin M, Buist R, Nichol H, A comparison of rapid-scanning X-ray fluorescence mapping and magnetic resonance imaging to localize brain iron distribution, European Journal of Radiology, 68S (2008) S109–S113.