Neuroimaging Unit

Facilities

MRI SCANNER

The ENU houses a 3 Tesla Siemens MAGNETOM Skyra scanner (Siemens AG, Munich, Germany) with a wide-bore (70 cm) magnet and a high-performance gradient system (maximum amplitude 45 mT/m, slew rate 200 T/m/s). Our SyngoVD13 scanner software contains fast imaging sequences for fMRI studies (e.g., simultaneous multislice and/or multiband), advanced readout segmented (multi-shot) diffusion-weighted EPI (RESOLVE), and analysis packages such as BOLD and DTI. In addition, as a research facility, the ENU can provide access to advanced, work-in-progress scanning sequences that are not yet available for common use. If your lab requires any such sequences that are not currently installed, please let us know and we will perform the necessary steps to acquire them.

RF Coils

The ENU has a set of RF coils, including the integrated body coil, a 20-channel head/neck coil, a 32-channel head receive-only coil, a spine coil, and two flexible surface coils (4- and 8-channels).

STIMULUS PRESENTATION

Visual Presentation
An MR-compatible, 32” LCD monitor (NordicNeuroLab, Bergen, Norway) is located at the rear of the scanner bore. The monitor is connected to the experimental computer via mirror converter box.

MediGlasses for fMRI
The ENU has a set of MR-safe, adjustable prescription goggles from MediGlasses (Cambridge Research Systems, Rochester, UK). The goggles have an easy, push fit interchange system with -5 to +3 diopter Rx/lenses in 0.5 diopter increments, and come with a vision test chart. No previous optical knowledge is necessary for clear, quick, and safe subject vision correction for use in the scanner.

Auditory Presentation

The ENU has three different systems to deliver auditory stimuli:

- OptoAcoustics OptoActive II MR communication system with active noise cancellation (ANC) slim headphones and ANC microphone (OptoAcoustics, Ltd, Mazor, Israel). This system actively reduces MR acoustic noise, improving the quality of the auditory stimuli delivered to the participant, and enables the recording of vocal responses. The system is compatible with all head coils.
- An MR-compatible, S14 insert earphones system with dedicated canal tips (Sensimetrics Corporation, Malden, Massachusetts, USA). The headphones deliver sounds while also acting as earplugs to help attenuate scanner noise. You can read more about S14 noise attenuation here. The system is compatible with all head coils.
- MR-compatible HP-SC03 headphones for the 20-channel head/neck coil only (MR confon, Magdeburg, Germany). See MR CONFON setup description.

DATA COLLECTION

Response Box
The ENU uses an 8-button fiber optic response pad (Current Designs Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) for the collection of subject responses.

Eye Tracking
The ENU has a long-range, mounted EyeLink 1000 system (SR Research, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), with 50- and 75-mm lenses. The system is equipped with dedicated first-surface mirrors to allow for optimal tracking.

Physiological Measurements
The ENU uses an MRI-compatible BIOPAC system (MP150, by BIOPAC Systems, Inc., Goleta, California, USA) that allows researchers to collect various physiological signals including skin conductance, ECG, respiratory effort, heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation. All signals can be viewed in real-time and can be saved and exported for offline analysis. Please refer to this manual for more details.

Data Storage
DICOM data are stored for about one year on a local picture archiving and communication system (PACS) server. Researchers can download their data through the ENU’s reservation system (Internal). For a detailed explanation, see our “Data download” section.

COMPUTERS & SOFTWARE

The ENU is equipped with three computers:

Experimental Computer (control room) – This computer is used by the researcher to run the fMRI experiments. To achieve optimal timing when presenting stimuli, the Experimental Computer has only the minimum number of necessary background processes running and has no anti-virus software installed. For this reason it is not connected to the internet, and no USB drive should be plugged in. All scripts should be transferred to the Experimental Computer via a shared drive with the Backup Computer.
Backup Computer (control room) – This computer can be used by the researchers to fetch raw data from the scanner, to copy new files to the experimental computer (via intranet), and as a BIOPAC workstation. It can also be switched to run the fMRI experiment in case the Experimental Computer is down.
Training Computer (behavioral training room) – The Training Computer can be used to train participants on the experimental paradigm and perform the behavioral parts of the experiments that can be done outside the scanner. Researchers also can use this computer to test and modify their paradigms.

All three computers run a Windows OS with basic Office package. The table below describes the software and hardware configurations for each:

Hardware/Software	Experimental	Backup	Training	Comment
Presentation	🗸	🗸	🗸	Versions 21 & 22
E-prime 2.0/E-Studio 2.0	🗸- Single User License 2.0.10.353 (SP1)/ 2.0.10.248	🗸- Single User License 2.0.10.242/ 2.0.10.147	🗸- Single User License 2.0.10.242/ 2.0.10.147	Only one dongle is available.
Matlab	Version 2020B, with psychtoolbox	Version 2018B, with psychtoolbox	Version 2020B, with psychtoolbox
Graphic Adapter & Monitor Resolution	Intel 630 & nVidia GT710 1920×1080 pixels, 60Hz	Intel 630 & nVidia GT710 1920×1200 pixels, 60Hz	Intel 630 1920×1080 pixels, 60Hz
Windows / Office	Win10 64-bit Office 2016	Win10 64-bit Office 2016	Win10 64-bit Office 2016

The ENU recommends using the control room’s Experimental Computer for the running of experiments. This computer has been tested by ENU staff for compatibility with the scanner’s hardware and is equipped with the latest stimuli presentation software (as described in the table above). Alternatively, researchers can connect their own laptops to run the experiments.

General rules for all three computers:

- Check all scripts before running the experiment, and delete unnecessary log files.
- Do not store data on the Desktop. The ENU cleans the Desktops once a week, and all files stored on there will be erased. All files should be stored on USB drives.
- Do not install, uninstall, or upgrade any software without the approval of the ENU staff.
- Do not unplug any dongle from the computers.

PERIPHERAL EQUIPMENT TRAINING

Please contact the ENU staff for training with peripheral equipment such as BIOPAC or EyeLink.