The Phase III multimodal data acquisition (MDA) core provides: 1) state-of-the-art neuroimaging protocols for stable and reliable imaging; 2) training of principal investigators (PIs) and their support staff on general and practical aspects of acquiring neuroimaging data (e.g., physics of imaging, how to avoid and correct for motion artifacts); and 3) new technological development to answer questions that will lead to new core capabilities and help future users of the MDA core. Specifically, the MDA core will support neuroimaging protocols based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG). These protocols include high resolution structural MRI (sMRI), diffusion MRI (dMRI) to map fiber connectivity, functional MRI (fMRI) to characterize changes in blood oxygenation as a consequence of neuronal activation, MEG/EEG to directly monitor neuronal activation with high temporal resolution, and MR spectroscopy (MRS) to measure brain metabolic profiles. The emphasis is on multimodal imaging so each Project PI will acquire imaging data from some combination of the above including concurrent EEG-fMRI or MEG-EEG. Training of PIs and support personnel consists primarily of lectures embedded within weekly meetings and a formal monthly seminar series managed by the administrative, clinical assessment, and mentoring (ADM) core. New MRI protocols will be developed during Phase III that take full advantage of the 32-channel radio-frequency (RF) coil now available at MRN. New developments include: 1) examining white matter integrity (myelin maps and structural connectiv- ity); 2) attaining higher temporal resolution in concurrent EEG-fMRI experiments for studying dynamic changes in functional connectivity; 3) developing optimal methods for removal of physiological noise; and 4) optimizing three-dimensional GABA measurement methods to enable reliable measurements over smaller voxels. This core is led by Dr. Julia Stephen (MRN) with over 20 years of experience in MEG/EEG methods, along with MR phys- icists Drs. Arvind Caprihan (MRN) and Stefan Posse (UNM Neurology) who each have 20+ years of experience with MR-based methods. Drs. Larry Wald (MGH) and Matthew Brookes (Univ. Nottingham) are consultants on this core. 2
