Current Courses
fMRI: Hands-On Training (PSY 5065)
Offered Fall of every year &mdash
website for current offering.
Course goals
By the end of the semester, students will:
&ndash be comfortable with the hardware and software in the MR environment, to ensure safe operation and selection of the right equipment for a given experiment.
&ndash be acquainted with the fundamental physical principles behind magnetic resonance imaging
&ndash understand the possible types of image contrast, and their uses in neuroscience
&ndash be adept at modifying pulse sequence parameters to balance the inevitable trade-offs between signal-to-noise ratio, resolution and acquisition time.
&ndash know how to modify an experimental protocol to minimize the impact of distortion and signal loss due to magnetic field inhomogeneities.
Logistics: The class meets Wednesday afternoons in Elliott Hall, and Friday afternoons at the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research at the 3T Scanner
Format is lecture and group discussion.
Weekly assignments, take-home exams (midterm and final), lectures and supplementary materials are posted on the course website.
Sensation and Perception (PSY 3031)
First time teaching: Spring 2008.
Website coming soon ...
Text: Goldstein, 7th ed.
Recent guest lectures.
Functional neuroimaging (BME 5401). Introduction to fMRI. Nov. 12, 2007.
Systems Neuroscience - Overview of MRI Applications in Neuroscience. Nov. 20, 2007.
2007 Data: SystemsNSc07.tar.gz
Center for Cognitive Sciences, Neuroimaging Panel (coordinator and participant). Dec. 6, 2007.
Past Courses
Spring 2005, 2006. fMRI: Biological Basis and Experimental Design (Psy 8960)
Course websites: lecture-based, discussion-based.
Course description. The course covers
1) the rudiments of MRI techniques, with particular emphasis on artifacts and constraints in EPI,
2) the biological basis of the fMRI signal, discussing the underlying neuroscience and vascular physiology,
3) experiment design and execution
4) the fundamentals of data analysis.
Logistics. Students will be asked to complete and present a short research project at midterm; the final project will comprise either presentation of simulated data and analysis for a novel experiment design or presentation of an annotated bibliography on a methodological topic of the student's choosing.
Fall 2005: Advanced Physics of MRI (BPhy 8147 / Psy 8960)
Course website: http://www.cmrr.umn.edu/class/BPhy8147
Course description: NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and MRI physics, spatial selection and encoding, imaging hardware and system engineering. Imaging sequences, associated contrast/resolution. NMR spectroscopy with an emphasis on in vivo. Recent developments in MRI.
Logistics: Homework assignments will be provided weekly and there will be a final exam. Lab assignments will be integrated with the lectures and crucial for course completion; CMRR site-specific safety training will be required for lab participation.