Acquisition of Magnetic Source Imaging System for Cognitive and Educational Neuroimaging

该补助金支持购买用于磁源成像（MSI）的多通道生物磁力计系统。该系统将用于非侵入性记录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，并用于构建大脑激活的功能图像。这些图像反映了调节实验任务所需的心理和行为功能的大脑活动的时空模式。在过去的三年中，我们已经使用MSI来建立（i）认知功能（包括运动、体感和接受性语言）的大脑机制的功能图的可靠性和有效性（Breier等人，1999 a，B; Breier等人，2000，出版中; Papanicolaou等人，1999; Simos，1998 a，B; 1999 a，B; 2000 a）。这些地图已被证明是如此准确，MSI是常规使用在我们的机构概述的边界语言特异性皮层的神经外科候选人，以避免损害正常功能的神经机制，在切除脑病变躺在靠近这些地区的大脑，从而降低术后发病率。(ii)我们已经积累了足够的数据来构建与成人阅读和语音解码相关的大脑机制的可靠地图（Breier等人，1998年，1999年c，Simos等人，1998 a，2000 a，出版中）和学龄儿童（Simos等人，2000 b，c，出版中）以及幼儿园儿童学习阅读。(iii)我们已经确定了特定于儿童的大脑激活图与确定的阅读困难和儿童的风险发展阅读困难。我们正在跟踪这些孩子，因为他们通过不同的教学方法学习阅读，以确定这些地图如何随着阅读熟练度的提高而变化（Simos等人，2000 b，c，d）.这些发现使我们考虑了一系列实验问题，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，以及与认知和语言功能组成部分的特定时空激活模式有关的问题。我们已经开始解决这些问题的支持下，几个NSF和NIH赠款（NSF补助金#9979968; NIH赠款RO 1 NS 37941和RO 1 HD 38346）使用148通道生物磁测量仪属于赫尔曼医院的临床研究。毫不奇怪，使用该系统进行涉及普通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，赫尔曼医院外，并将专门用于涉及儿童和成人的基础研究。我们的小组拥有先进的MSI技术，特别是在涉及更高皮层功能的领域。我们已经开发了具体的教育应用程序，将神经科学带入公立学校。为了继续推进这项技术，扩大教育和培训应用，需要一个专门用于研究的MSI实验室，从而获得了重大研究仪器计划的资助。

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.