Acquisition of a High-field Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) System for Neuroscience Research

University Of Alabama At Birmingham, Birmingham AL

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT A grant has been awarded to Dr. Gamlin at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to acquire a state-of-the-art vertical, 4.7 Tesla, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device designed especially for use with alert, trained non-human primates. MRI, especially functional MRI, is an exciting new tool that is revolutionizing our ability to study the brain. However, this technology has limitations when applied solely to humans. A major limitation is that once a brain region is identified by fMRI as being functionally activated during a specific task, additional invasive, experimental options are limited. However, by using non-human primates, further studies are not limited to imaging alone. One can conduct electrophysiological studies using single- and multi-unit recording, and neuroanatomical and pharmacological inactivation techniques to significantly enhance the level of understanding of brain function. Therefore, this 4.7T MRI system will be used in a primate Neuroimaging Facility which, when combined with existing neurophysiological techniques, will be able to examine brain function at both microscopic and macroscopic scales and with temporal resolutions of milliseconds - experiments that are not currently feasible in humans. In addition, using this combination of techniques, new pulse sequences will be developed and validated to ensure that fMRI images more accurately reflect the spatial and temporal characteristics of the underlying neural activity. UAB has assembled a group of internationally-recognized neuroscientists with expertise in studying the underlying mechanisms of visual, sensorimotor, and oculomotor processing in alert, behaving primates. The primate visual system is the most extensively studied primate sensory system and the oculomotor system is the best understood primate motor system. Thus, these UAB investigators are in a unique position to fully exploit fMRI techniques to better understand the behavior of these model neural systems and, in so doing, contribute to a deeper understanding of brain function in general. The planned research projects will include the investigation of neural mechanisms related to vision, eye movements, plasticity, and sensorimotor integration in occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal cortex. Other projects will involve the development of better functional and spectroscopic MRI techniques. The planned Neuroimaging Facility, which will be one of only a few facilities in the world in which research spanning single neurons to whole brain behavior can be conducted in the same research animal, will be developed into a regional/national resource for research in Neuroscience. This planned facility thus has the potential to make major contributions to the field of functional brain research. The planned Neuroimaging Facility will have a major impact on recruitment and training of students in this emerging research area. Specifically, to ensure that the next generation of scientists will exploit this resource fully and develop MRI techniques further, participating faculty will ensure that students are trained in-depth in both neuroscience and MRI imaging. Further, UAB's Comprehensive Minority Faculty and Student Development Program, the NSF-funded Alliance for Minority Participation, and the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Program, will ensure that a significant proportion of these students are from underrepresented groups.