Core Grant for Vision Research

描述(由申请人提供)： 史密斯-凯特尔韦尔眼科研究所(SKERI)的研究重点是视力和视觉系统障碍的临床和基础研究。史密斯-凯特尔韦尔的科学家接受过不同的医学和科学背景的培训：眼科、神经生理学、实验心理学、工程学、验光和生物物理学。他们的主要研究课题包括眼球运动处理、双眼视觉的动力学、视觉通路的皮质组织和发展、老化眼睛的视觉、光感受器功能分析、物体识别和为残疾人服务的计算视觉。特别强调了现代成像技术在这些问题上的应用，包括多焦ERG、MRI、fMRI、DTI、全头VEP、全头MEG、皮质光学成像和SLO成像。在过去的30年里，NEI核心补助金构成了其最重要的共享研究服务的核心组成部分，主要是计算机通信和资源以及电子设备设计和维护。考虑到史密斯-凯特尔韦尔小组的适度规模、科学家之间的接近以及他们共同的研究兴趣，科学家之间的合作是标准做法。首席调查人员毫不费力地共享资源。我们计算机服务和电子硬件模块的技术专长极大地促进了新研究议程的快速发展-这对新的首席研究人员和博士后研究员来说是一个巨大的优势，也是我们高生产率的主要因素。近年来，视觉学界经历了脑成像领域的研究爆炸式增长。史密斯-凯特尔韦尔一直在与这项技术保持同步，目前有几笔赠款，还有许多其他项目正在进行中。增加一个脑成像模块将在磁共振成像、功能磁共振成像、全头视觉诱发电位、DTI和全头脑磁图成像等领域提供宝贵的支持资源，而这些领域的个人赠款是不切实际的。此外，实验室动物资源单元将提供必要的技术支持和资源，以继续由史密斯-凯特尔韦尔的一些小组进行的关于警觉行为灵长类准备的高级别研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Research at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute (SKERI) is focused on clinical and basic studies in vision and disorders of the visual system. Smith-Kettlewell scientists have training from diverse medical and scientific backgrounds: ophthalmology, neurophysiology, experimental psychology, engineering, optometry and biophysics. Their main topics of study are oculomotor processing, dynamics of binocular vision, cortical organization and development of the visual pathways, vision in the aging eye, analysis of photoreceptor function, object recognition and computational vision in the service of the disabled. Particular emphasis has been laid on the application of modern imaging techniques to these problems, including the diverse techniques of multifocal ERG, MRI, fMRI, DTI, whole-head VEP, whole-head MEG, optical imaging of cortex, and SLO imaging. For the past three decades, the NEI Core Grant has formed the central component of its most important shared research services, chiefly computer communication and resources, and electronic equipment design and maintenance. Given the moderate scale of the Smith-Kettlewell group, the proximity of the scientists, and their common research interests, collaboration among scientists is standard practice. Principal Investigators share resources with little difficulty. The technical expertise of our Computer Services and Electronics Hardware modules greatly benefits the rapid development of new research agendas - a tremendous advantage for new principal investigators and postdoctoral fellows, and a major factor in our high productivity. In recent years, the vision community has experienced an explosion of research in the area of brain imaging. Smith-Kettlewell has kept step with this technology and has several grants currently funded, with many other projects in the works. The addition of a Brain Imaging Module will provide valuable support resources in the areas of MRI, fMRI, whole-head VEP, DTI, and whole-head MEG imaging that are impractical to provide on individual grants. In addition, a Laboratory Animal Resources Module will provide the technical support and resources necessary to continue the high-level research conducted on the alert behaving primate preparation conducted by a number of groups at Smith-Kettlewell.