IDDRC
fMRI Clinical Neuroimaging
Director Shastry
Akella Ph.D.
The
overall mission of the UAB Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory
is to provide advanced imaging variants such as functional
fMRI and fMRI/EEG, technical support for data collection, and
assistance
in study design for researchers interested in non-invasive
assessments of clinical populations. This lab also provides
a pilot mechanism to spur new and innovative
research that takes a multi-disciplinary approach to fMRI mechanisms
and their quantitative assessment. The Core utilizes the UAB
Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory (FNL), located on the ground
floor of the UAB CIRC to provide imaging and image processing
services for scientists actively
involved
in intellectual
and developmental disabilities, and neurological disease research.
The centerpiece
of this operation is a 3T head only
fMRI scanner (Allegra, Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Malvern,
PA) that is approved for clinical use.
Neuro-imaging specific
objectives:
(1)
To provide imaging and spectroscopy infrastructure for IDDRC
investigators.
(2)
To make pilot scanner time available for usage by both junior
and established investigators to develop imaging-based research
threads in the areas of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
(3)
To facilitate multi-dimensional IDD research that utilizes
clinically established non-invasive MRI imaging methodology
to quantitate cerebral structure, biochemistry, hemodynamics,
and function.
(4)
To make available adjunct hardware such as functional stimulus
delivery instrumentation and MRI-compatible EEG, for development
and enhancement of novel multi-dimensional imaging methodologies.
(5)
To provide a centralized software repository and image processing
know-how and support for research groups utilizing the Clinical
Neuroimaging Core
(6)
To facilitate correlative research that examines surrogate
imaging markers and end-points with clinical outcomes, gene-array
measures, histopathological evaluations, and psychometric indices.
(7)
To establish a platform for inter-institutional protocol and
methodology sharing.
(8)
To provide training and educational avenues for IDDRC users
who have little or no neuroimaging experience.
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