Dr. Rebecca McNamee
Modelling and Simulation
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An Introduction to Modern Methods of Brain Exploration with a Focus on Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lecture 7
The brain is perhaps the most fascinating of all organs in the human body,as it is the foundation of human
thought and behavior. Despite the explosion of brain research that has occurred over the past several
years,the brain remains mysterious with many unknowns. Throughout history the ability to study the brain
has been limited due to lack of technology. Over the past two decades however,a technique called
functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) has led to the ability to study a living brain non-invasively
and thus has become extremely popular among researchers. As fMRI requires some knowledge of physics,
neuroscience,psychology,and statistics,it is an area which typically requires interdisciplinary teams to
work together to fully understand the methods and to make proper inferences about the results.
Furthermore,while it has advanced our understanding of the brain,its limitations and potential methods to
overcome or minimize these limitations should also be considered. This course offers a detailed
introduction to fMRI,starting with an overview of neuroscience and neuroanatomy and advancing to the
functionality of the brain. Initially,a brief history of past and current techniques to study this functionality
will be described,leading into a detailed introduction to MRI and fMRI. The second half of the course
focuses on the theory and application of both MRI and fMRI. Principles of magnetic resonance and their
application to imaging are covered,as well as how MRI progressed from a measure of structure to a
measure of function. Practical applications,such as design of experiments,preprocessing,and analysis of
data as well as limitations of these methods are also covered. Finally,the course offers an overview of how
fMRI is used to study functional connectivity in the brain,and a brief introduction to diffusion tensor
imaging,which is applied to study white matter tracks in the brain,is given. The final two lectures will be
spent on current applications of fMRI to study cutting edge topics such as the processing of emotions,
learning and memory,fear learning and extinction,and the effects of sleep. The course is designed for
students with little or no background in neuroscience and imaging,although a basic background in biology
and physics is highly preferred. Thus,the course is suitable for undergraduate students,graduate students,
and other professionals with an interest in the brain.
Dr. Rebecca McNamee
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Dr. Rebecca McNamee is a Senior
Research Fellow at the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center in
Pittsburgh, PA (US). She received her
BS in Engineering Science and
Mechanics at the University of
Tennessee, Knoxville, and her MS and
PhD in Bioengineering from the
University of Pittsburgh. She has
worked as faculty at the University of
Pittsburgh and as a visiting
researcher collaborator at Carnegie
Mellon University for 8 years.