SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY CORE
Coordinators: Jeff Fitzsimmons, PhD
The Science Technology Core is intended to provide scientific expertise and technical support for the entire Center effort, focusing on methods of non-invasive physiological measurement, including EEG, and autonomic and somatic response systems. Furthermore, this Core oversees a functional imaging consortium that includes NMR scientists, physicists, and radiologists from the Center's primary research sites (and other affiliate investigators with imaging expertise). The consortium includes personnel from MRI centers in Florida, Chicago, Minnesota, the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and from the University of Tübingen, in Germany. In addition to providing expert advice and assistance, facilitating MR methods and data sharing, the Core participants will be active in developing and evaluating new data acquisition and analysis methods that have broad application in functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Science Technology Core initiatives include 1) development of hardware and software solutions to the difficult task of EEG collection in the MR environment, and 2) the development of parallel functional imaging RF Coils and reconstruction techniques to afford greater spatial as well as temporal resolution. Annual meetings will promote transfer of knowledge across projects, foster development of new technological solutions to ongoing and unforeseen issues, and serve as a training opportunity for developing emotion scientists.
