Description
The Facility for Imaging and Brain Research (FIBRE), located on the ground floor of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Gateway (SBSG: map) houses a 3T Siemens Prisma scanner, a mock scanner, and data analysis facilities. This research-dedicated MRI scanning facility, operated by Dr. Craig Stark, is designed to suit a wide range of basic and translational research programs by researchers across the UCI campus and beyond.
The Prisma scanner is the outcome of a tremendous effort by both Siemens and the National Institutes of Health to develop an MRI machine that would give researchers unprecedented speed, resolution, and detail needed for such ambitious projects as the Human Connectome Project.
UCI has equipped the scanner with a host of advanced features including:
- Both 32- and 64-channel head coils to suit needs of various neuroscience studies
- Specialized packages for multi-band fMRI, DTI, etc.
- Specialized packages for MR spectroscopy including non-proton MRS
- Specialized packages for diffusion and ASL imaging
- Specialized packages for cardiac and angio imaging as well as periphery coils
- Complete, signed Master Research Agreement (MRA) for access to custom / experimental protocols
In addition to these features of the scanner, the facility is setup for functional MRI imaging (fMRI) and is equipped with stimulus delivery and response collection systems from Cambridge Research Systems including:
- BOLDScreen 32: LCD mounted at the end of the bore featuring 1920×1080 @ 120Hz, 5ms grey-to-grey, 1400:1 contrast ratio, and 10-bit color
Fiber-optic response box setup (fORP 32) with:- 8-button bi-manual
- Trackball
- Joystick
- 5-button cylinder
- MR Confon Mk II audio delivery system
LiveTrack AV eye-tracking - MR-safe prescription goggles
- Stimulus delivery by a VR-ready experimental machine
MRI-compatible glasses
Finally, the facility itself is setup with easy access for participant parking, space available for pre- and post-scan testing, consenting, etc., and a mock scanner that can be use for acclimating participants.