FUNCTIONAL MRI TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT

该项目将开发新的可卡因诱导成像方法。 利用功能磁共振在人和大鼠体内的激活 成像(FMRI)技术。这些技术有可能 无创性地分析直接的血管反应和兴奋反应， 以及渴望等药物依赖行为，具有史无前例的 时间和空间分辨率。然而，尽管功能磁共振成像已经非常 初步应用于初级感觉神经标测成功 关于大脑皮层，对大脑皮层下结构的研究成果较少。 由于这些皮质下结构似乎是理解 药物依赖行为的生理学，我们提议的工作试图扩展 FMRI成像序列、地图生成和分析技术 优化可卡因诱导激活的检测。这些方法 解决使功能磁共振成像在职能部门中独树一帜的具体问题 神经成像方式：顺序依赖功能的混合体 权重可用，高空间和时间分辨率可行， 以及功能性MR数据的独特统计特征。 通过结合新的成像和分析技术，我们因此寻求 建立功能性磁共振成像作为研究的严格方法 人类的药物反应和药物依赖行为。

This project will develop new methods for imaging cocaine-induced activation in humans and in rats using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques. These techniques have the potential for analyzing non-invasively both direct vascular and euphoric responses, as well as drug-dependent behavior such as craving, with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. However, while fMRI has been very successful in its preliminary applications of mapping primary sensory cortices, studies of sub-cortical structures have been less fruitful. Since these sub-cortical structures appear key to understanding the physiology of drug-dependent behavior, our proposed work seeks to extend fMRI imaging sequences, map generation, and analysis techniques to optimize the detection of cocaine-induced activation. These methods address the specific issues that make fMRI unique among functional neuroimaging modalities: the mixture of sequence-dependent functional weightings available, the high spatial and temporal resolution feasible, and the unique statistical characteristics of the functional MR data. By combining novel imaging and analysis techniques, we thus seek to establish functional MR imaging as a rigorous methodology for the study of drug response and drug-dependent behavior in humans.