Advances in Neuroimaging: Techniques for measuring timing of cognitive processes

University of Minnesota, Spring Semester, 2008

Instructors:

Steve Engel (engel@umn.edu) Advanced Techniques in Human Neuroimaging Psy 8960-004 (91384) 3 credits
Sheng He (sheng@umn.edu) Vision and Attention Psy 8960-003 (90262) 3 credits
Dan Kersten (kersten@umn.edu) Computational Vision: Psy8036 (69190) 3 credits
Yang Zhang (zhang470@umn.edu) Seminar - Brain Imaging Across the Lifespan: SLHS 8530

Meeting time : 3:00 to 4:30 pm Tuesdays
Place: 204 Elliott Hall

The ability to measure brain activity as a function of both spatial location and time is fundamental to advancing our knowledge of the relationship between neural activity and behavior. Over the past decade and a half, our understanding of brain and behavior has benefited enormously from the ability to measure spatially localized patterns of activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, although fMRI has provided an unprecedented opportunity to measure spatial activity patterns in the cortex, it is severely limited in its ability to measure temporal processing near the scale of neural events and only indirectly reflects neural activity. Further advances will require the ability to use techniques to combine high temporal resolution with good spatial resolution. This seminar will go over basic aspects of magnetoencephalography (MEG), electroencephalography (EEG), and advanced fMRI techniques for measuring timing. In addition, we will look at human temporal information processing applications in perception, cognition, and motor control.

Format: Invited lecturers, discussion of journal articles. Students will be expected to participate in class discussions, take the lead in discussions, and write a final paper.

Schedule and Reading List

(under construction)

https://wiki.umn.edu/view/VisionResearch/MEG