Imaging methodologies contribute to the elucidation of brain function in health and disease and there has been an exponential growth in the utilization of neuroimaging in brain research, yet few investigators possess the entire range of skills needed to carry our successful neuroimaging research. We propose the development of an interdisciplinary training program in """"""""neuroimaging"""""""", a discipline combining an understanding of central nervous system organization and function, the biophysical basis for the various imaging methodologies used to assess brain function in vivo, and a familiarity with existing and potential clinical applications of imaging methods to neuropsychiatric disorders. Two pre-doctoral trainees and four postdoctoral trainees from basic science and clinical backgrounds will pursue a curriculum in neuroimaging methods and applications, participate in several seminar series pertaining to neuroimaging, and carry out research under the guidance of primary and secondary mentors with complementary expertise in neuroimaging methods and applications in basic and clinical neuroscience. A special interactive seminar series on """"""""translational neuroimaging"""""""" will be organized and led by the program director specifically for the trainees of this program. The proposed program will share administrative support with and benefit from infrastructure support provided by the Neuroscience Neuroimaging Center NINDS P30 Center Core, which provides access to multidisciplinary expertise in image acquisition, image analysis, and image computing. A core faculty of investigators with active research in clinical neuroimaging and a track record of successful interdisciplinary research and training in this area will serve as preceptors for the proposed training program. Graduates of this training program will have received training in a broad range of topics including brain organization, function, and disorders, biophysics of imaging modalities, statistical analysis of multimodal imaging data and computational approaches, and will be prepared to develop and lead multidisciplinary research efforts utilizing neuroimaging methods to elucidate the pathogenesis of neurological and psychiatric disorders, to aid in differential diagnosis, and as a surrogate biomarker for monitoring disease progression and assessing therapeutic efficacy.
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