Enhanced Neuroimaging Infrastructure for Innovative Visual Neuroscience

约克大学已经成为尖端视觉神经科学研究的世界领先者。约克视觉研究中心(CVR)是一家全球领先的机构，致力于人类视觉的神经成像研究，并指导学生和早期职业科学家使用最先进的视觉神经科学方法。约克大学由NSERC资助的合作研究和培训经验(CREATE)计划专注于“行动中的大脑”，为高素质的研究生和博士后实习生提供资金、资源和国际合作机会。约克的愿景：科学到应用(Vista)计划，由加拿大第一卓越研究基金(CFREF)资助，已投资数百万美元招聘世界领先的科学家加入约克的视觉神经科学教职团队；为毕业生和博士后实习生提供奖学金、奖学金和培训资源；并升级约克磁共振设施的核磁共振扫描仪，以提供最先进的神经成像研究和培训中心。为了充分利用这些特殊的投资，约克核磁共振设施迫切需要增强的神经成像工具和基础设施。这项建议的重点是“视在行动”--在现实世界中理解视觉功能，从感觉到知觉，从知觉到行动。这一创新的研究项目旨在促进我们对视觉-运动整合的理解；大脑中物体、特征和运动感知的功能分离；神经可塑性和视觉引导学习；视觉引导导航和空间认知；以及视觉引导注意在衰老和脑疾病中的作用。成功取决于创新，创造生态上有效的视觉刺激，从导航真实世界的3D环境到在核磁共振扫描仪中精确的视觉-运动伸展和抓取学习。然而，自核磁共振设施在因新冠肺炎大流行而关闭两年后重新开放以来，多个研究项目被搁置，直到能够更换、升级和/或获得所需的核磁共振相关设备。所要求的基础设施包括：1)与核磁共振兼容的高清晰度LCD屏幕；2)最先进的远程眼球跟踪系统，这是精确视觉神经科学研究所必需的；以及3)高通量磁共振数据分析计算基础设施，是数据协调、重复性和开放科学所必需的。这些基础设施投资的首要目标是提高约克作为视觉神经科学研究的全球领导者的地位，并优化对下一代神经科学家的培训。

York University has emerged as a world leader in cutting edge visual neuroscience research. York's Centre for Vision Research (CVR) is a leading institute worldwide engaged in neuroimaging research of human vision, and mentoring students and early career scientists in the most advanced vision neuroscience methods. York's NSERC funded Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program focussing on "the Brain in Action" provides funding, resources, and international collaboration opportunities for highly qualified graduate and postdoctoral trainees. York's Vision: Science to Applications (VISTA) Program, funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), has invested millions of dollars to recruit world-leading scientists to York's team of vision neuroscience faculty; provide scholarships, fellowships, and training resources to graduate and postdoctoral trainees; and to upgrade the MRI scanner at the York MRI Facility to provide a state-of-the art neuroimaging research and training centre. In order to fully capitalize on these exceptional investments, enhanced neuroimaging tools and infrastructure are critically needed at the York MRI facility. This proposal focuses on `vision in action' - understanding visual functioning in real world contexts, from sensation to perception, and from perception to action. This innovative research program aims to advance our understanding of visual-motor integration; functional segregation of object, feature, and motion perception in the brain; neuroplasticity and visually guided learning; visually-guided navigation and spatial cognition; and visually-guided attention in aging and brain disease. Success depends on innovation, creating ecologically valid visual stimuli, from navigating real world 3D environments to precision visual-motor reach and grasp learning in the MRI scanner. However, since reopening the MRI Facility after a two-year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple research projects are on hold until the required MRI related equipment can be replaced, upgraded, and/or acquired. The requested infrastructure includes: 1) an MRI compatible high-definition LCD screen and 2) a state-of-the-art remote eye-tracking system, necessary for precision-visual neuroscience research; and 3) high throughput MR data analysis computing infrastructure necessary for data harmonization, reproducibility, and open science. The overarching goal of these infrastructure investments is to enhance York's status as a global leader in visual neuroscience research and optimize the training of next-generation neuroscientists.