Currently, the functional neuroimaging research conducted and supported by the Laboratory of Neuroimaging at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine utilizes fMRI as a primary measure. fMRI is the hallmark of spatial resolution amongst functional neuroimaging techniques, capable of resolving clusters of activation millimeters apart. However, its temporal resolution is on the order of several seconds. The temporal resolution of fMRI is determined not only by sampling interval but also by intrinsic biological factors. Therefore it is not possible to resolve events occurring within as much as one second of each other. An ideal complementary imaging technique for fMRI would have the ability to measure changes in activity with a temporal resolution on the order of milliseconds, and electrophysiological measures such as the electroencephalogram (EEG) or event related potentials (ERPs) have proven to fit this role perfectly. The current proposal aims to purchase an MRI-compatible EEG/ERP recording system in order to supplement fMRI data with high-temporal resolution electrophysiological data in order to expand the scope of hypotheses that are testable using the resources available through the Laboratory of Neuroimaging, a core functional neuroimaging resource of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Addition of this resource will facilitate development and testing of models of cognitive function that incorporate factors accounting for the temporal dynamics of networks subserving these functions. In addition to purchase of this system, we also propose the establishment of an unbiased local advisory committee who will oversee the administration of this resource to ensure that it continues to attract new users and that NIH funded projects are given rates of access to the resource commensurate with targeted subject enrollment and project timelines. Purchase of this equipment has direct relevance to public health because it will advance our knowledge of the neural underpinnings of various psychiatric disorders. Use of the new instrumentation in NIH funded projects investigating various aspects of autism, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is discussed in detail with specific hypotheses that the instrumentation will permit testing of. With active expansion of the research infrastructure at Mount Sinai with a focus on clinically oriented research, it is expected that utilization of this core by NIH funded researchers will continue to grow over the next several years.
The aim of this proposal is to purchase equipment that will allow researchers to investigate the time course of activation of discrete structures in the brain with high temporal resolution, which is not possible using currently available resources. Purchase of this equipment will benefit several NIH-funded researchers conducting studies on various aspects of psychiatric disorders including autism, bipolar disorder, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
