November 9, 2006
UW advancing in neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience and imaging are in the process of taking a giant leap forward at the UW.
Boosted by a cooperative agreement between the College of Arts and Sciences and the department of radiology in the School of Medicine, the UW is poised to play a larger role in cognitive neuroscience research with new key faculty hires, the acquisition of state-of-the-art functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanners and new on-campus laboratory space.
The use of fMRI and other imaging technologies is exploding and offering scientists better ways of looking at the human brain and how it functions. On campus efforts to expand the UW capabilities in this area have been spear-headed by Dr. Norman Beauchamp, Jr., chair of the radiology department, and Steven Buck, psychology chair. University researchers already are using imaging technology to explore puzzling disorders ranging from autism to dementia.
The UW did not own a modern fMRI scanner until last spring when what is called a 3-Tesla, or 3-T, scanner was installed at medical school facilities on South Lake Union. Since then, space has been remodeled in the AA wing of Health Science and a second 3-T scanner will be installed next month or in January. The UW also was recently granted $2 million from the National Science Foundation for a third T-3 scanner that will go into service later in 2007 in the AA wing.
Equally important is the addition of faculty members whose research relies on the availability of imaging equipment. Assistant professors Scott Murray of psychology and Christopher Stecker of speech and hearing sciences joined the UW last year.
This winter the husband and wife team of Geoffrey Boynton from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Ione Fine of the University of Southern California will join the psychology department.
Other faculty whose research uses imaging technology include Geraldine Dawson, Marsha Linehan, Andrew Meltzoff and Theodore Beauchaine of psychology, Patricia Kuhl of speech and hearing sciences, Virginia Berninger of educational psychology and Dr. Kenneth Maravilla and Elizabeth Aylward of radiology.
“Our search for people with competence in using these machines has exploded,” said Buck. “Radiology has been pushing on the equipment side and psychology has been pushing on the side. Each has helped the other.”
“The very best way for us to go forward in this area is together,” said Beauchamp. “We are hopefully that this effort will spread cognitive neuroscience and bring in further research collaborators from across campus. There are all kinds of opportunities for collaboration.”
