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MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Sherwood 585.273.4726
August 13, 2003
Watching the human brain in action is the goal for scientists at the new Rochester
Center for Brain Imaging. The center has been founded with two grants totaling
$2.7 million, which will be used to renovate space and purchase a state-of-the-art
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system that provides detailed images of the
brain. These brain scans not only reveal minute anatomical structures, but also
which portions of the brain are active as participants perform a variety of
tasks.
"This center is a wonderful addition to the research tools for a widespread
and important group of scholars at the University," says Charles Phelps,
provost of the University of Rochester. "It significantly augments our
research ability in both the College and the Medical Center."
The new MRI system will have a resolution far better than MRIs normally used
in standard clinical situations. The quality of an MRI image is closely related
to the magnetic field strength, and the new machine will use a 3.0 Tesla magnet;
twice the strength of those in standard machines. Only about 30 such MRIs exist
in the nation.
The facility can also be used for imaging any part of the body to investigate
questions in cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics, and many other fields. It will
also serve an important training function for undergraduates, graduate students,
and postdoctoral fellows as they learn how to use MRI as a research tool.
Projects already slated for the new center include one led by Daphne Bavelier,
associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences, which investigates how
the brain is reorganized when an entire sense--such as hearing in the case of
deaf individuals--is absent. For example, does the auditory part of the brain
in deaf individuals respond to visual information? Another project by William
Merigan, associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Rochester
Medical Center, will look at how the brain recovers from or reorganizes itself
after a stroke. Richard Aslin and Elissa Newport , professors of brain and cognitive
sciences, will search for areas of the brain that are activated as adults and
children rapidly learn new skills, including novel miniature languages. A team
led by Bavelier, Newport, and Professor Ted Supalla investigates how language
is represented in the brain by studying individuals who use sign language rather
than spoken language. For example, does the usual bias for the left side of
the brain to process spoken language also hold for native users of American
Sign Language? Professor Jianhui Zhong, from the Departments of Radiology and
Biomedical Engineering, and Kevin Parker, School of Engineering and Applied
Sciences Dean and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will develop
new techniques for gathering images from the magnet and visualizing their three-dimensional
properties.
The Rochester Center for Brain Imaging will be located between the River Campus
and the Medical Center. Renovations are expected to begin by September and to
be completed by February, 2004. The 3.0 Tesla Siemens magnet housed in the RCBI
will be available for basic and clinical research by any member of the University
faculty, as well as by partner researchers from Cornell University, Rochester
Institute of Technology, and SUNY Geneseo.
Seven researchers, led by principal investigator Richard Aslin, professor of
brain and cognitive sciences, were awarded the grants from the National Science
Foundation and from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to form the Rochester
Center for Brain Imaging (RCBI).
The University of Rochester (www.rochester.edu) is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering is complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and the Memorial Art Gallery.
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