The overall goal of the Core B is to continue to offer state-of-art imaging tools and support for the scientificprojects by improving the functional resolution of high field functional MRI. To achieve this goal, a twopronedapproach is proposed that will emphasize on both the development of novel fMRI acquisitionmethods for high sensitivity and specificity and the service to our participating projects for reliable functionalsignal detection.The objective of the development component is to design, implement and validate new fMRI acquisitionmethods that are efficient, sensitive and specific to the functional signal source. Emphases will be placed on1) refining the novel acquisitions methods for susceptibility signal recovery developed during our initialProgram Project Grant to ensure further improved spatial fidelity and clarity, 2) developing new acquisitiontechniques that ensure increased sensitivity and efficiency and are of high resolution using the parallelimaging infrastructure, and 3) improving the specificity of the functional signal by developing novel imagingstrategies to focus on the small vessel networks closely tied to the true neuronal activities. It is anticipatedthat these improved imaging tools will allow our participating neuroscience researchers to remain at theforefront of neuroimaging research by asking more sophisticated questions, designing more complexfunctional imaging paradigms and detecting more subtle signal changes.The objective of the service component is to ensure reliable scanner operation through a seamless interfacewith the participating projects, a robust support platform for daily operation, and an aggressive program ofquality assurance. Specifically, the core wil work closely with the participating projects to design tailored scanprotocols, develop online instructional materials for newly developed techniques and tools, and implementprocedures to monitor and ensure high signal-to-noise ratio, spatial fidelity and temporal stability. We believethese quality services will provide long-term stability and reliability to the overall program project and ensuresuccessful execution of our research plans.
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