Marcus E. Raichle, MD
Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Professor of Radiology, Neurology, Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering
Research Centers:
Neuroimaging Labs Research CenterLab:
Vlassenko/Goyal LabMarcus E. Raichle, MD, is the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Medicine and a researcher in the Neuroimaging Labs Research Center (NIL-RC) at WashU Medicine Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology. Raichle, who previously served as head of the NIL-RC, is a trailblazer in the study of human brain function through the development and use of positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
He and his colleagues’ landmark study described the first integrated strategy for the design, execution and interpretation of functional brain images. Another seminal study led to the discovery that blood flow and glucose utilization change more than oxygen consumption in the active brain, causing tissue oxygen to vary with brain activity.
Finally, seeking to explain task-induced activity decreases in functional brain images, Raichle’s team employed an innovative strategy to define a physiological baseline. This led to the concept of a default mode of brain function and invigorated studies of intrinsic functional activity, an issue largely dormant for more than a century. An important facet of this work was the discovery of a unique fronto-parietal network in the brain that has come to be known as the default mode network, which becomes active when the brain is not actively engaged in a task. This network is now the focus of work on brain function in health and disease worldwide.
In 2014, Raichle was awarded the Kavli Prize in Neuroscience for this work. The prestigious honor recognizes outstanding achievement in advancing knowledge and understanding of the brain and nervous system. Also a professor of radiology, neurology, neuroscience and biomedical engineering, he has been a member of the WashU faculty for more than 50 years.
Research Interests
normal human brain function, functional brain imaging signals biological origins
Link to Publications
Education History
Residency
Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Neurology, Cornell University Medical College
Medical Degree
University of Washington
Undergraduate
University of Washington
Associations
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Neurological Association
National Academy of Science (Institute of Medicine)
National Academy of Sciences
Editorial Board, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Awards
2016 Neuronal Plasticity Prize, Fondation Ipsen
2015 Charles L. Branch BrainHealth Award, Center For BrainHealth
2014 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience, Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
2012 Second Century Award, Washington University
2011 MetLife Foundation Award for Medical Research
2011 Peter Raven Lifetime Achievement Award, StLouis Academy of Sciences
2011 Lifetime Achievement Award, International Society Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism
2010 C. U. Ariens Kappers Medal, Royal Nederlands Academy of Sciences
2009 George A. Miller Prize, Cognitive Neuroscience Society
2008 Ralph W. Gerard Prize in Neuroscience, Society for Neuroscience
2006 Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Washington School of Medicine
2006 Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Chicago
2004 Patricia Goldman-Rakic Award in Cognitive Neuroscience, National Association for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression
2001 Inaugural Grawemeyer Award for Psychology, University of Louisville
1999 Inaugural Carl and Gerty Cori Award for Faculty Achievement, Washington University in St. Louis