MRI: Acquisition of a 7T magnetic resonance system for high resolution imaging of brain connectivity and dynamics

加州理工学院获得了一项奖励，购买最先进的设备，用于7特斯拉磁共振成像（MRI）脑成像仪器。该仪器将使加州理工学院脑成像中心（CBIC）的尖端基础研究以及研究密集型培训成为可能，该中心旨在研究一系列动物物种的大脑结构和功能。这项研究将涉及加州理工学院十几个不同的实验室，研究基础科学问题，其中包括大量博士后、研究生、本科生和高中暑期学生。将特别强调增加妇女和代表性不足的少数民族学生在教育和研究中的代表性。这包括加州理工学院的博士项目，以及暑期本科生研究研究员项目和WAVE项目，这些项目欢迎来自加州理工学院以外的学生，并专注于增加代表性不足的学生在科学、技术、工程和数学方面的参与。它还包括加州理工学院的课堂连接，这是一个科学教育推广项目，由加州理工学院的科学家与当地公立学校系统中的K-12教师合作，为K-12学生提供暑期研究经验。在课程中使用这一工具将产生额外的教育影响。此外，MRI仪器将提供给大洛杉矶地区的学术机构。通过这项研究获得的关于大脑结构和功能的见解，并通过公众宣传传播，将对科学素养做出广泛贡献。支持研究的具体目标是阐明大脑结构、功能和功能障碍的基本原理；测试、开发和比较用于研究大脑的协同技术；并在这方面培养下一代的学生和科学家。具体目标将调查大脑的结构和功能连接，知识是必不可少的制定和测试脑功能的计算模型，并允许物种之间的比较。融合技术也将用于研究大脑，包括使用功能性核磁共振成像、超声波和光声断层扫描。该研究将开发用于核磁共振成像的下一代遗传编码分子探针，并将在细胞和电路水平上实现更精确的生物功能成像和操作。这项研究将利用与加州理工学院人类核磁共振扫描仪研究的独特联系，使跨物种大脑结构和功能研究取得新进展。研究结果将在同行评议的出版物和科学会议上传播。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to the California Institute of Technology to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for a 7-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instrument for brain imaging. This instrument will enable cutting-edge basic research, as well as research-intensive training, at the Caltech Brain Imaging Center (CBIC) aimed at investigating brain structure and function in a range of animal species. The research will engage more than a dozen different labs at Caltech pursuing basic scientific questions, including a large number of postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, undergraduates and high school summer students. Special emphasis will be placed on increasing the representation of women and underrepresented minority students in education and research. This includes Caltech's Ph.D. programs as well as its Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows program and WAVE program, which welcome students from outside Caltech and focus on increasing the participation of underrepresented students in science, technology, engineering and math. It also includes the Caltech Classroom Connection, a science education outreach program partnering Caltech scientists with K-12 teachers in the local public school system to provide summer research experiences for K-12 students. Additional educational impact will come from the use of this instrument in connection with courses. In addition, the MRI instrument will be made available to academic institutions in the Greater Los Angeles area. The insights into the structure and function of the brain obtained through this research and communicated through public outreach will contribute broadly to scientific literacy. The specific goals of the supported research are to elucidate fundamental principles of brain structure, function and dysfunction; to test, develop, and compare synergistic technologies for investigating the brain; and to train the next generation of students and scientists in this endeavor. Specific aims will investigate the structural and functional connectivity of the brain, knowledge that is essential for formulating and testing computational models of brain function and allowing comparisons among species. Convergent technologies will also be used to investigate the brain, including the use of functional MRI, ultrasound and photoacoustic tomography. The research will develop the next generation of genetically encoded molecular probes for MRI, and will enable more precise imaging and manipulation of biological function at the cellular and circuit level. This research will leverage unique connections to studies conducted on Caltech's human MRI scanners, enabling novel advances in the study of brain structure and function across species. Results from the research will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and at scientific meetings.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.