P457 (P433)
Laboratory in Neuroimaging Methods and Statistics
Prerequisites: K300, P326
Recommended: P335

Description:
The use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as a technique
for psychological experimentation has grown immensely in the last
decade. In parallel with this growth have been advances in 1) our
understanding of the coupling between the fMRI signal and neural
activity; 2) the complexity of experimental designs; and 3) the rigor
of statistical analyses.

This course will examine these three components using a combination of
lecture and laboratory exercises. Students will be expected to
complete projects for which they collect, analyze and report on
functional MRI data. Specific topics include: a) neuroimaging
techniques; b) introductory MR physics; c) measuring Blood
Oxygen-Level Dependent (BOLD) changes; d) the relationship between
BOLD and neural activity; e) the temporal and spatial limits of fMRI;
f) signal to noise; g) pre-processing steps; h) block-design and
event-related design experiments; i) the general linear model applied
to fMRI; j) event-related averaging and deconvolution

Grades will be based on in-class participation, assignments and an
exam. This course should be equally appealing to students in
psychology, cognitive science and neuroscience who are interested in
learning fMRI.