RII Track-2 FEC: Innovative, Broadly Accessible Tools for Brain Imaging, Decoding, and Modulation

University Of Rhode Island, Kingston RI

Investigators

Abstract

Non-technical description This Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-2 Focused EPSCoR* Collaboration (RII Track-2 FEC) project involves three states: Rhode Island, Oklahoma and Kentucky. The project will be led by the University of Rhode Island in partnership with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, the University of Kentucky, Kentucky State University, the University of Oklahoma, Norman, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and the Laureate Institute for Brain Research. The participants will form an interdisciplinary consortium to 1) develop innovative and broadly accessible brain imaging and modulation technologies and tools for acquiring fundamental insight about how the nervous system functions in health and disease; and 2) develop a diverse workforce, with particular emphasis on junior faculty, to create and implement these technologies and tools. These tools are aimed at establishing a more comprehensive understanding of how actions emerge from the dynamic activities in the brain and developing effective treatments for neurological and cognitive impairment. The Rhode Island team focuses on hardware development while the Kentucky and Oklahoma teams develop algorithms and implement applications that could benefit from the integrated systems developed by the project. Technical description The investigators will accelerate development of tripolar concentric ring electrode electroencephalography, and integrate it with functional near-infrared spectroscopy and transcranial focal electrical stimulation to create a portable, multimodal brain imaging and stimulation system. This project seeks to realize the potential for combining these techniques into hybrid devices that can take advantage of the strengths of each modality to obtain a more comprehensive picture of brain activity and behavior. Besides data acquisition, the project will also develop novel algorithms to extract information about brain functions from data recorded in naturalistic conditions. The methods are relevant to basic and clinical studies, with applications in neuroscience, cognitive science and cognitive psychology. The research will allow the invention and commercialization of low-cost, portable brain imaging and stimulation devices as well as algorithms that will increase accessibility of these technologies to a greater segment of the population. The project also includes multiple components to develop a diverse, well-trained workforce, and presents a strategy to engage each important phase of the education and career process, spanning from K-12, undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, to junior faculty. *Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research