N e u r o i m a g i n g

The Psychology Department hosts an on-site, research-dedicated 3T Siemens Trio MRI scanner

T r a n s c r a n i a l  M a g n e t i c  S t i m u l a t i o n

Magstim Rapid 2 with 'figure-of-eight' coil.

E x p e r i m e n t a l  C o n t r o l

'Presentation' software (www.neurobs.com) is used for controlling neuroimaging and TMS experiments. Computers running Presentation interface with the MRI-compatible response boxes via a parallel port interface (design: FMRIB Centre; construction, PRISM laboratory, Birmingham). The interface contains a set of RF filters that minimise noise transmission between the console room and the scanner during imaging experiments. It also allows Presentation to receive synchronising TTL pulses from the scanner, and send a number of independent TTL pulses to external equipment (such as the TMS stimulator). A Cambridge Electronic Design1401 unit records waveform or event data over a number of independent channels using Spike2 software (all experimental events during TMS or fMRI are signalled through the parallel port interface and sampled by the 1401 unit at 1 kHz). This arrangement is available in the MRI unit as well as a separately located laboratory where experiments are designed and piloted and can be behaviourally tested in a facility that replicates the scanner bore, bed, headcoil, visual back-projection and mirror arrangements used in the MRI scanner.

I m a g e  A n a l y s i s

SPM/MatLab, FSL and MRIcro are installed on remotely accessible dual core Linux and Windows PCs.