MRI: Acquisition of ETG-4000 24 Channel Optical Topography System for Research, Training and Outreach

MRI：采购 ETG-4000 24 通道光学地形图系统用于研究、培训和推广

• 批准号: 1229299
• 负责人: Nick Stergiou
• 金额: $ 23.34万
• 依托单位: University of Nebraska at Omaha
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-08-15 至 2015-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1229299&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; ETG; 4000; 24

This Major Research Instrumentation award permits Dr. Nicholas Stergiou and four co-investigators to purchase a functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system. The participating researchers are all active in the area of human movement and neuroscience. This system enables imaging of the brain in functional postures and activities such as standing and walking. Brain imaging is therefore enabled under more natural conditions with this instrument, compared with other technologies that require the person to lie flat and still. The fNIRS is a rapidly emerging technology that will transform the current research program at the Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility, enabling the realization of leading-edge research. This facility specializes in the neuromuscular control of gait and balance. It combines the principles of motor control with mathematical theory to develop novel biotechnologies that manipulate the sensory pathways for enhanced control of movement. The fNIRS will play a key role in this program of research, allowing the researchers to examine the neural correlates of auditory, visual and tactile feedback that have previously been shown to improve gait, balance and upper limb movement. This new knowledge will be later applied in the rehabilitation of movement in patient populations. Beyond the Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility, the fNIRS technology will be subject to both intra- and inter-institutional use. Researchers from Creighton University and the Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha propose a number of fundamental research activities that will be enabled by the fNIRS instrument. In these activities cortical brain activity will be examined before, during and after aerobic exercise to establish whether or not cognitive performance and brain activity in the prefrontal cortex is related to aerobic exercise. Inhibitory control of irrelevant or redundant sensory information is known as "gating" of neuronal responses. Another project will examine the test-retest reliability of sensory gating, measured using an established paradigm. Additional research will investigate the neural correlates of lower-limb muscular fatigue and the effect of biofeedback on cortical activity in motor learning, based on a four-week training study.The Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility is committed to involving undergraduate and graduate students in research, reflected in the many student volunteers, paid student workers and interns that have passed though the facility since its establishment. The fNIRS instrumentation will transform the vista of potential research questions that these students can tackle. Additionally, the Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility is involved in outreach initiatives that invite low-income high school students to the facility to expose them to biomechanics as a possible future career. The fNIRS will be a particularly exciting device to add to this program and will stimulate interest in the neurosciences in this population of students who are currently underrepresented at university level.

这一重大研究仪器奖允许Nicholas Stergiou博士和四名合作研究人员购买功能性近红外光谱(FNIRS)系统。参与的研究人员都活跃在人类运动和神经科学领域。该系统能够在功能性姿势和活动(如站立和行走)下对大脑进行成像。因此，与其他需要人平躺和静止的技术相比，这种仪器可以在更自然的条件下进行大脑成像。FNIRS是一项迅速崛起的技术，它将改变内布拉斯加州生物力学核心设施目前的研究计划，使尖端研究得以实现。该设施专门从事步态和平衡的神经肌肉控制。它将运动控制原理与数学理论相结合，开发了新的生物技术，通过操纵感觉通路来增强对运动的控制。FNIRS将在这项研究计划中发挥关键作用，使研究人员能够检查听觉、视觉和触觉反馈的神经相关性，这些反馈之前已被证明可以改善步态、平衡和上肢运动。这一新知识稍后将应用于患者群体的运动康复。除了内布拉斯加州生物力学核心设施外，fNIRS技术将同时适用于机构内部和机构间。来自克雷顿大学和内布拉斯加州大学奥马哈分校心理学系的研究人员提出了一些基础研究活动，这些活动将由fNIRS仪器实现。在这些活动中，将在有氧运动之前、期间和之后检查皮质大脑活动，以确定前额叶皮质的认知表现和大脑活动是否与有氧运动有关。对不相关或多余的感觉信息的抑制控制被称为神经元反应的“门控”。另一个项目将检查感官门控的重测可靠性，使用已建立的范例进行衡量。其他研究将基于为期四周的培训研究，调查肢体肌肉疲劳的神经相关性以及生物反馈对运动学习中皮质活动的影响。内布拉斯加州生物力学核心设施致力于让本科生和研究生参与研究，这反映在自该设施成立以来经过该设施的许多学生志愿者、带薪学生工作者和实习生身上。FNIRS仪器将改变这些学生可以解决的潜在研究问题的前景。此外，内布拉斯加州生物力学核心设施还参与了外展活动，邀请低收入高中生到该设施，让他们接触生物力学，作为未来可能的职业。FNIRS将是一个特别令人兴奋的设备，增加到这个项目，并将激发这一群体的学生对神经科学的兴趣，目前在大学水平的代表性不足。