Rate My Professor Marcus Raichle

Raichle's research centers on functional brain imaging using positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine human brain organization and function in health and disease. Key areas include studies of normal human brain function, the biological origins of functional brain imaging signals, systems underlying cognitive and emotional processes, and brain alterations in psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety. He relates changes in blood flow and metabolism to cellular activity. Pioneering contributions include the first integrated strategy for designing, executing, and interpreting functional brain images; demonstration that blood flow and glucose utilization change more than oxygen consumption during brain activation, foundational to fMRI; and discovery of the default mode network, a fronto-parietal system prominent during rest, revealing the brain's intrinsic organization. Seminal publications comprise "A default mode of brain function" (2001), "The human brain is intrinsically organized into dynamic, anticorrelated functional networks" (2005), "Spontaneous fluctuations in brain activity observed with functional magnetic resonance imaging" (2007), "The brain's default mode network" (2015), and "The Brain's Dark Energy" (2006). Raichle has received the 2014 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, 2008 Ralph W. Gerard Prize in Neuroscience, 2001 Grawemeyer Award for Psychology, 2011 MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research, and 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, among others. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, and American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he serves on the editorial board of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. His work has revolutionized neuroimaging and insights into brain function, profoundly impacting neuroscience and psychology.