Faculty: Allen Song

Allen W. Song, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Radiology, Duke University
Associate Director for Functional Brain Imaging, BIAC

Ph.D., 1995, Medical College of Wisconsin (Biophysics)

Research Interests

The acquisition methodology, processing strategies and contrast mechanism for functional MRI. Additional interests include the application of the improved acqusition methods to study motor sequence learning and language processing.

Research Statement

The research in this lab is concerned with the advancement of fMRI data acquisition methods that includes the development of real-time imaging using echo-planar and spiral data acquisition with high-order shimming control, development of robust and reliable single-shot image acquisition methods and optimization of the acquisition methods for improved functional sensitivity and specificity.

Our lab is also focused on understanding the contrast mechanism of the functional MRI, which includes the source localization of the functional signal using the blood oxygenation level dependent contrast and development of alternative contrast mechanisms that are more directly linked to the neuronal activities.

Additional effort is invested in applying and validating the developed methods to study human motor sequence learning and language processing.

Recent Representative Publications (2002-2003)

Doyon, J., Song, A. W., karni, A., Lalonde, F., Adams, M. M., and Ungerleider, L. G., Experience-Dependent changes in cerebellar contributions to motor sequence learning, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 99(2), 1017-1022, 2002.

Gangstead, SL, Song, AW. On the timing characteristics of apparent-diffusion-coefficient contrast fMRI, Magn. Reson. Med. 48, 385-388, 2002.

Song, AW, Woldorff, M, Gangstead, S, Mangun, GR, McCarthy, G. Improved precision of neuronal localization using apparent diffusion coefficient contrast in fMRI, NeuroImage 17, 742-750, 2002.

Song, AW, Fitchtenholtz, H, Woldorff, M. Compartmentalization of the BOLD signal based on the apparent mobilities, Magn Reson Imag. 20:521-5, 2002.

Eastwood, JD, Holder, C, Hudgins, P, Song, AW. Perfusion imaging with lateralized labeling of arterial spins, Magn. Reson. Imag. 20, 583-586, 2002.

Sha, L, Guo, H, Song, AW. An improved non-uniform fast fourier transform for spiral MRI imaging, J. Magn. Reson. 2003 (in press).

Giesbrecht, B, Woldorff, MG, Song, AW, Mangun, GR. Neural mechanisms of top-down control during spatial and feature attention, NeuroImage 2003 (in press).

Pelphrey, KA, Mack, PB, Song, AW, Güzeldere, G, McCarthy, G. Faces Evoke Spatially Differentiated Patterns of BOLD Activation and Deactivation in Ventral Extrastriate Cortex, NeuroReport 2003 (in press).

Weissman, DH, Giesbrecht, B, Song, AW, Mangun, GR, Woldorff, MG. Conflict monitoring in the human anterior cingulate cortex during selective attention to global and local object features, NeuroImage 2003 (in press).

Song, AW, Li, T. Improved spatial localization based on flow-moment-nulled and intra-voxel incoherent motion weighted fMRI, NMR Biomedicine, 2003 (in press).

Woldorff, MG, Weissman, D, Hasslett, C, Song, AW, The investigation of neural correlates during cued attention process using combined fast-rate ERP and fMRI, J. Cog. Neurosci. 2003 (in press).

Chee, M, Westphal, C, Goh, J, Graham S, Lim, Y, Song, AW. Word frequency and subsequent memory effects studied using event related fMRI, NeuroImage, 2003 (in press).

Li, T, Song, AW, Fast functional signal changes revealed by diffusion weighted fMRI, Magn. Reson. Imag. 2003 (in press). <\td>

Song, AW, Harshbarger, T, Li, T, Kim, KH, Mori, S, Kim, DS. Functional activation using ADC contrast allows better spatial localization to the neuronal activity: evidence using DTI fiber tracking, NeuroImage, 2003 (accepted).

Guo, H, Song, AW. Spiral-in-and-out functional image acquisition with embedded z-shimming for susceptibility signal recovery, JMRI, 2003 (accepted).

Duke University Academic Affiliations

Department of Radiology Department of Biomedical Engineering (secondary)

Current Committee Memberships

Member, Executive Committee of the Duke Program on Neural Analysis
Member, National Science Foundation Review Panel, Bioengineering and Environmental Systems

Additional Education

Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Lab of Brain and Cognition, NIH