Acquisition of Magnetic Source Imaging System for Cognitive and Educational Neuroimaging

用于认知和教育神经成像的磁源成像系统的采集

• 批准号: 0116150
• 负责人: Andrew Papanicolaou
• 金额: $ 200万
• 依托单位: The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-09-01 至 2004-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0116150&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Acquisition; Magnetic; Source; Imaging; System

This grant supports the acquisition of a multi-channel biomagnetometer system for Magnetic Source Imaging (MSI). This system will be used for non-invasive recording of magnetic signals emitted naturally by the human brain during performance of sensory-motor, cognitive and linguistic tasks, and for constructing functional images of brain activation. These images reflect the spatio-temporal patterns of brain activity mediating the psychological and behavioral functions required by the experimental tasks. During the past three years, we have used MSI to establish (i) the reliability and validity of functional maps of the brain mechanisms underlying cognitive functions, including motor, somatosensory, and receptive language (Breier et al., 1999a,b; Breier et al., 2000, in press; Papanicolaou et al., 1999; Simos, 1998a,b; 1999a,b; 2000a). These maps have proven so accurate that MSI is routinely used in our institution for outlining the borders of language-specific cortex in neurosurgical candidates in order to avoid damage to normally functioning neural mechanisms during resection of brain lesions lying close to these areas of the brain, thus reducing post-operative morbidity. (ii) We have accumulated sufficient data for constructing reliable maps of brain mechanisms associated with reading and phonological decoding in adults (Breier et al., 1998, 1999c, Simos et al., 1998a, 2000a, in press) and in school-age children (Simos et al., 2000b,c, in press) as well as kindergarten children learning to read. (iii) We have identified brain activation maps specific to children with identified reading difficulties and children at-risk for developing reading difficulties. We are following these children as they learn to read through different instructional methods to determine how these maps change with improved reading proficiency (Simos et al., 2000b,c,d).These discoveries led us to consider a host of experimental questions ranging from the layout of the mechanisms of oral and written language in the brains of bilingual and polyglot children and adults to questions regarding the formation of such mechanisms in the course of brain maturation and development, and to questions relating to specific spatio-temporal activation patterns underlying component cognitive and linguistic functions. We have begun addressing these questions with the support of several NSF and NIH grants (NSF grant #9979968; NIH grants RO1 NS37941 and RO1 HD38346) using a 148-channel biomagnetometer acquired for clinical studies belonging to Hermann Hospital. Not surprisingly, the use of that system for the conduct of basic research involving normal volunteers and children has become problematic. The system we will purchase will be located on the U of Texas- Houston campus, outside Hermann Hospital, and will be exclusively used for basic research involving children and adults.Our group has advanced MSI technology, especially in areas involving higher cortical functions. We have developed specific applications to education, literally bringing neuroscience into public schools. In order to continue to advance the technology and expand educational and training applications, a MSI laboratory dedicated to research is needed, leading to this grant under the Major Research Instrumentation Program.

该拨款支持获取用于磁源成像（MSI）的多通道生物磁强计系统。该系统将用于对人类大脑在执行感觉运动、认知和语言任务时自然发出的磁信号进行无创记录，并用于构建大脑激活的功能图像。这些图像反映了大脑活动的时空模式，这些活动介导了实验任务所需的心理和行为功能。在过去的三年中，我们使用MSI来建立(i)认知功能的脑机制功能图的可靠性和有效性，包括运动、体感和接受性语言（Breier et al., 1999a,b; Breier et al., 2000, in press; Papanicolaou et al., 1999; Simos, 1998a,b; 1999a,b; 2000a）。这些图被证明是非常准确的，在我们的机构中，MSI被常规用于勾画神经外科候选人的语言特异性皮层的边界，以避免在切除靠近这些大脑区域的脑病变时损伤正常功能的神经机制，从而减少术后发病率。（ii）我们已经积累了足够的数据，可以构建成人（Breier et al., 1998,1999c, Simos et al., 1998a, 2000a, in press）和学龄儿童（Simos et al., 2000b,c, in press）以及学习阅读的幼儿园儿童与阅读和语音解码相关的大脑机制的可靠图谱。（iii）我们已经确定了有阅读困难的儿童和有阅读困难风险的儿童的大脑活动图。我们通过不同的教学方法跟踪这些孩子学习阅读的过程，以确定这些地图是如何随着阅读能力的提高而变化的（Simos等人，2000年b，c,d）。这些发现引导我们考虑一系列实验问题，从双语和多语儿童和成人大脑中口头和书面语言机制的布局，到大脑成熟和发育过程中这些机制的形成，以及与构成认知和语言功能的特定时空激活模式有关的问题。在美国国家科学基金会和美国国立卫生研究院的几项资助（NSF资助#9979968；NIH资助RO1 NS37941和RO1 HD38346）的支持下，我们已经开始解决这些问题，使用的是赫尔曼医院临床研究获得的148通道生物磁强计。毫不奇怪，使用该系统进行涉及正常志愿者和儿童的基础研究已经成为问题。我们将购买的系统将位于德克萨斯大学休斯顿校区，Hermann医院外，并将专门用于涉及儿童和成人的基础研究。我们的团队拥有先进的MSI技术，特别是在涉及高级皮质功能的区域。我们已经开发了特定的教育应用，将神经科学引入公立学校。为了继续推进该技术并扩大教育和培训应用，需要一个专门用于研究的MSI实验室，从而在主要研究仪器计划下获得这笔拨款。