The University of Illinois at Chicago has unveiled the world’s most powerful magnetic resonance imaging machine.

The current industry standard for MRI systems is 1.5 tesla, which limits researchers to imaging water molecules. As a result, only anatomical changes can be detected and monitored.

By contrast, UIC’s 9.4-tesla magnet will enable researchers to detect signals from sodium, phosphorus, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen — the metabolic building blocks of brain function and human thought.

Researchers will use the scanner to identify and monitor conditions or diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer’s, autism and mental illness.