The Neuroimaging Core (Core B, NC) will provide expertise and support for acquisition and analysis of structural and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI/fMRI), functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), and electroencephalography/event related potentials (EEG/ERP). By providing a centralized organizatlon for use of these techniques across multiple Projects, the NC will greatly increase efficiency of the Program as a whole by eliminating redundancy and providing common processing procedures and automation. Further, it will enable comparability across Projects and sites, by providing standardization in acquisition and analysis. The speciflc strengths of the Core Director and Invesflgators support each methodology: key personnel include experts Dr. Einar Mend, Core Director (structural and funcflonal MRI);Dr. Nicole Landi (EEG/ERP);and Heather Bortfeld (NIRS). Select consultants provide additional expertise: Dr. Robert Fulbright (neuroanatomy and medical review);Dr. Todd Constable (MR physics);and Dr. Ching-Po Lin (flbertract.imaging using DTI and DSI). Computaflonal resources are extensive, including multiple Linux and PC boxes, and a 40-core Mac Xgrid network running all necessary MR software packages and in-house developed Maflab programs. ERP and NIRS data processing are supported by dedicated Macintosh Pro computers. The NC will maintain wikis for communication and QC across sites, and provide local (weekly in person) and global (monthly via Skype) meetings for relevant staff and scientists. The NC will instantiate and maintain quality control and comparability of data acquisitions within each technique, across the multiple sites. As needed, NC staff will provide training of scientists and research associates across Projects in data acquisition and analysis. The NC will provide support for the proper design of experiments to take advantage of the particular strengths of each imaging modality. NC staff will preprocess and perform initial subject-level analysis for all MRI data collected at Haskins Laboratories, and provide support to Project scientists performing main across-subjects analyses for hypothesis testing. Finally, the NC staff will actively develop new techniques for acquisition and analysis to support the scientific goals of the Project.
This program is relevant to the understanding the development of spoken and written language competence, which is crucial for successful academic and life outcomes. The Neuroimaging Core provides scientific expertise and computational support for MRI, EEG, and NIRS data acquisition and analysis, fostering synergy across Projects by providing efficiency, standardization, and quality control for all neuroimaging
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