Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

PSYCH 181F and NEUROBIO 381
Fall 2007

Lecture

Wednesdays, 3:00-4:30 PM.
Barrus Conference Room, Duke South Hospital (3031 Purple Zone)

Laboratory

Main Session: Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 PM.
Additional sessions scheduled individually by each laboratory group.
BIAC Analysis Laboratory (251 Bell Research Building)

Materials

The primary text will be Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, by Huettel, Song, and McCarthy. It can be ordered from Sinauer Associates, Inc. Any additional readings will be provided by the instructors and/or posted on the website.

Course Director

Scott Huettel, Ph.D.
Departments of Psychiatry, Neurobiology, and Psychology
Brain Imaging and Analysis Center (Bell 254D)
email: phone: 681-9527

Teaching Assistants

Simon Davis, LSRC B254
email:
phone: 668-2299

Melissa Libertus, LSRC C03F
email:
phone: 668-0437

Office Hours

Bell Building, Room 254D
Given the size of the class, office hours will be by appointment. Note that the laboratory period assigned to your group is an excellent time to ask questions about anything course-related!

Course Information

This course is intended to provide a comprehensive and rigorous introduction to the technique of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Students will learn the basic physics underlying MRI, the biological principles of fMRI, the principles of experimental design, the processing steps associated with data analysis, and the use of available software packages. Each week's session will be composed of a lecture and laboratory. Each part will be led by one or more BIAC faculty members. Where possible, the laboratory topics will be flexible so that students with more experience can explore the issues covered in more detail.

The capstone experiences of the course are the student-led fMRI projects. Small groups of students (generally, 4 students) will conduct their own fMRI study. The rules and procedures for these projects will be explained in mid-October.

Auditors are welcome (and encouraged) to take the course, but regular attendance and participation is required.

Course web page: http://www.biac.duke.edu/education/courses/

Assignments and Grading (Undergraduates)

Attendence (10%) - Because this is a once-weekly course with a laboratory component, attendance is mandatory. Note that this is an easy way to improve your grade in the course.
Laboratory exercises (20%) - Each group (generally, 2 students) will write a brief report summarizing their findings during the laboratory. In some cases, they will go over the report with the TAs. This is turned in at the end of the laboratory sessions.
Quizzes during laboratory (10%) - These quizzes will cover material from the previous week's lecture and readings.
Mid-term examination (30%) - The mid-term examination will cover the physical and physiological principles underlying fMRI. It will be given in class as a closed-book examination.
Project presentation (10%) - Each group will prepare a PowerPoint presentation describing their fMRI project. The entire group will receive one grade.
Project final report (20%) - Each individual will write up their own final project report. The same figures can be used in each report, but the text must reflect each individual's own ideas and contributions to the project. Reports must be turned in at the time of the project presentation.

Assignments and Grading (Graduate Students)

As this is a graduate course, grades will reflect a certification of training, rather than a competition between students. Therefore, all grades can be raised to "E" by demonstrating understanding of the material. Grades will be based on participation in course sessions, completion of laboratory exercises, weekly short answer questions, and a final practicum research project. There also be one mid-term examination.

Course Preliminary Outline