Research - Cerebral Malaria: Malawi
Dr. Potchen’s research interest include utilizing advanced imaging technology, such as MRI to better understand tropical conditions that impact large populations of individuals in regions where such technology has not generally been available. He is presently engaged in a Malawi-based cerebral malaria study. Malaria continues to be a significant disease entity throughout the world with 2.7 million deaths attributed to it each year. Cerebral malaria accounts for 50% of under-5’s mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. 
Approximately 70-90% of childhood cerebral malaria victims survive, and many of these children suffer from neurological sequelae, including cognitive deficits, behavioral problems, and epilepsy. Despite the huge global burden of malaria, we know little about the process of brain injury that occurs in survivors. Understanding neurologic injury in survivors requires neuroimaging with MRI. Attempts to image cerebral malaria have been extremely limited. The dearth of imaging information in childhood cerebral malaria is largely due to the lack of MRI facilities in malaria endemic regions.
In July 2008, General Electric Health Systems completed the installation of a donated MRI unit for use within MSU’s Blantyre-based malaria research program. The availability of MRI technology in Blantyre opens up new areas of evaluation and understanding of childhood cerebral malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Potchen is presently a co-investigator on two NIH funded RO1 research grants based out of Malawi. This work will allow malaria researchers to gain insight into how the pathological findings of cerebral malaria appear among living children. Future studies may include MRI evaluations in patients with spinal schistosomiasis, CNS onchocerciasis, and HIV-related disorders within Malawi.
Dr. Potchen is a core faculty member of Michigan State University’s African Studies Center and Michigan State University’s International Neurologic & Psychiatric Epidemiology Program (INPEP).
