In the name of God of body and soul

Brain Mapping is a new interdisciplinary science, which uses advance imaging methods to study brain structure and function in health and disease. Brain Mapping by definition requires interaction of medical and many other basic scientists.

In Iran, the first brain mapping document in the modern literature was probably Dr. Mojtaba Zarei's MD thesis on "brain electrical activity mapping" in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, 1989. The thesis was supervised by Prof Hassan Ashayeri (Tehran) and Prof Hamid Ashkani (Shiraz).

In 2005, a team of neuroimaging scientists, including Dr Heidi Johansenberg, Dr Matthew Rushworth, Dr Christian Beckmann and Dr Mojtaba Zarei held the first Neuroimaging Analysis Workshop in Imam Khomeini Hospital.

In 2008, Dr. Zarei wrote a proposal for formation of Iran National Neuroimaging Network and call upon stakeholders to join forces and establish a national platform. Immediately following this a meeting was convened in Institute for Fundamental Sciences (IPM) in which Dr MJ Larijani (President of IPM), Dr K Kharrazi (Chairman of Board of Trustees of Institute for Cognitive Sciences- a private institution), Dr Sarbazi (Head of IT Department at IPM), Dr H Esteky (Head of School of Cognitive Sciences, IPM), Dr S Sarkar (Head of Center for Technological Studies in Medicine) and Dr Zarei (moderator from University of Oxford) were present. They agreed on collaborating with each other to develop a national neuroimaging platform. Unfortunately, this alliance did not hold for much longer.

In 2009, Institute for Fundamental Sciences purchased a 3T Tim Trio Siemens MRI scanner, however, because of some administrative difficulties the scanner was installed in Imam Khomeini Hospital where it was mainly used for clinical and diagnostic services for the patients. 

Having observed the difficulties that various groups had to establish a neuroimaging laboratory, in 2010, Dr Zarei wrote the first comprehensive proposal for establishing a national center for brain mapping and submitted it to the Office of Vice-president for Science and Technology. The proposal was reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education. This was followed by approval of the Vice-president to allocate $10M equipment grant, subject to the host university providing physical space and the faculty.

After negotiations with several major universities and NGOs in Tehran, Shahid Beheshti Universities (General and Medical) agreed to meet the above conditions within a framework of collaboration.

In 2014, the Center started its function with the inauguration of the first International Congress on Brain Mapping in Iran by Distinguished Professor Reza Malekzadeh, Chancellors of Shahid Beheshti Universities and some of the most respected neuroscientists in Iran and Europe including Prof. Albert Gjedde (Copenhagen, Denmark), Prof. Philip Elsinga (Groningen, Netherlands), Prof. Christian Beckmann (Nijmegen, Netherlands), Dr. Mohammad S. Alavijeh (London, UK), Dr. Sven Braeutigam (Oxford, UK), Dr. Manouchehr S. Vafaee (Copenhagen, Denmark), Dr. Reza Khorshidi (London, UK), Dr. Pasha Razifar (Upsala, Sweden), and Dr Rita Paetau (Helsinki, Finland).

Our mission is to provide a scientifically free and rich environment for clinicians and scientists to use this platform in order to make discoveries and inventions while pushing the boundaries of neuroscience further for the benefit of mankind and patients suffering brain disease. We welcome international collaborations on all aspects of neurology and neurosciences.