MRI: Acquisition of a Siemens MAGNETOM Trio A Tim System

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Harry H. Wheeler Brain Imaging Center (BIC) at the University of California, Berkeley consists of a large multidisciplinary group of scientists dedicated to basic and clinical neuroscience using MRI methods. The group has made numerous contributions to the field of systems and cognitive neuroscience through the study of normal and disordered neural processes. Since its inception in 2000, when there was no MRI facility at UC Berkeley, the human functional neuroimaging group has grown to comprise twenty-eight different labs across campus. In addition to the wide range of basic and clinical neuroscience questions being investigated at the Berkeley BIC, physicists, bioengineers and neuroscientists at UC Berkeley have made significant contributions to the development of new MRI hardware and analytical tools to analyze fMRI data. This award provides funds to purchase a Siemens 3T MRI system at the BIC to replace the current Varian 4T MRI scanner which is insufficient for current research purposes. Twenty seven senior researchers will utilize the instrumentation to address a wide range of scientific questions. For example, substantive projects include investigating the neural bases of high-level cognitive processes such as working memory and executive control; understanding the processes that enable goal-directed behavior; examining the neural mechanisms of motivation, both positive reward directed) and negative (punishment avoidance; study of the neural mechanisms underlying vision and visual perception, object recognition and selective attention. While the primary purpose of this instrumentation is to understand basic brain functioning the work will have strong carryover into clinical research areas. The knowledge gained will be relevant for gaining additional insight, for example, into areas of clinical child and development psychology. The Brain Imaging Center provides important training experience for undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to learn MRI methods and the new imager will further this goal. It will also strengthen the development of a strong coherent university research group.