- ynic-users

MEG benchmarking
by a.morland＠psychology.york.ac.uk 01 Dec '06

01 Dec '06

Dear All, I received three responses (please shout if I have ommitted any) to my enquiry concerning projects (past, present and future) that might assist us all in bench testing MEG analysis. The project details are described below and I am hopeful that each of them will inform us on how best to use the MEG tools that have been developed at YNiC. The projects are also at different stages of development and this is likely to allow at least some work to be done in series rather than us spread ourselves too thinly across three parallel projects. I plan to convene some meetings with each project team and YNiC staff to establish how to move forward on each project. These meetings will take the same form as the brain storming sessions that we are now running for project teams. The first of these was run recently and by all accounts was a successful and enjoyable activity. If you could let me know when (usually a Wednesday afternoon from 4pm) you are available to meet, that would be very helpful. Many thanks for responding. Tony Project: P1010 Title: Seeing the neural basis of the left hemisphere advantage for visual word recognition. Investigators: Ellis and Barca. SLO: Simpson Synopsis: MEG study with good data acquired from at least 11 participants. Left vs right visual field comparison for silent reading of words, scrambled words. Status: Data acquired and partially analysed. Project: P1039 Title: Investigating the magnitude and distance effects in number comparison with MEG. Investigators: Goebel. SLO: Simpson Synopsis: Aim to acquire data from circa 16 participants during number comparisons (and control trials). Status: Acquiring, but ethics and science approval. Project: P1051 Title: Comparing fMRI and MEG; object category selectivity in the visual cortex. Investigators: Lee, Young, Andrews & Johnson. SLO: Johnson Synopsis: 16 participants viewing faces and places. Status: Data not yet acquired, ethics and science applied for.

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Beamforming Day
by Michael Simpson 22 Nov '06

22 Nov '06

Dear all, For those who have registered, the timetable for the Beamforming training day tomorrow is: -------------- 9:15 - 10:00 Review of MEG (Gary Green) 10:10 - 10:50 Introduction to Beamforming (Gary Green) 11:00 - 1:00 Beamforming: A step-by-step guide and workshop (Will Woods) -------------- 1:30 - 2:20 Pitfalls and interpretation issues in MEG (Michael Simpson) 2:30 - 3:30 Virtual Electrodes: A step-by-step guide and workshop (Will Woods) 3:30 - 4:30 MEG Statistics: Group and Single Subject statistics (Gary Green) -------------- Please try to arrive for 9am so that everyone can get a coffee and be seated for a prompt 9.15am start. Also, please bring your own lunch. It will help us to keep to the tight schedule if people don't need to go to the shops at lunchtime to buy food. Thanks Michael -- Dr Michael Simpson Science Liaison Officer York Neuroimaging Centre Innovation Way York YO10 5DG Tel: 01904 567614 Web: http://www.ynic.york.ac.uk

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Neuroscience North East
by Tim Andrews 17 Nov '06

17 Nov '06

Dear All, The British Neuroscience Association runs a Neuroscience North East conference each year . This year it will be held in Durham on 14/15 December. The aim of this conference is to give younger neuroscientists (PhD students, postdocs) an opportunity to present their work. If you are interested in presenting a talk or a poster OR fancy a couple of days in Durham, please let me know asap and I will put you in contact with the conference organizers. I have been told that there is free food and drink (incl. beer) and cheap accommodation. Best wishes, Tim -- Dr Tim Andrews Department of Psychology University of York York, YO10 5DD UK Tel: 44-1904-434356 Fax: 44-1904-433181 http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~ta505/ http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/psych/www/admissions/cns/

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advertising for participants
by rem 10 Nov '06

10 Nov '06

Dear YNiC users A new page (not yet published) will be available on the YNiC website where researchers can advertise for participants. If you would like to advertise your study on the YNiC "Volunteers" page, please provide the following information to either me or your SLO: 1) The project title and a contact name 2) The email address of the contact 3) A few sentences describing your project 4) How long the experiment will take 5) Participant payment There will also be a link to the YNiC "Volunteers" page from the psychology department website. Furthermore, if you have specific requirements of participants (e.g. right-handed, normal vision), we can query the pool of volunteers in the YNiC database to produce a list of suitable volunteers for your study. I will send an email to all the volunteers on the list on the behalf of the user. Users will need to provide details of their study and a contact email so that interested volunteers can contact them directly. If you have any questions about this, please don't hesitate to contact me. Rebecca -- ************************************************************************ Dr. Rebecca E. Millman Science Liaison Officer York Neuroimaging Centre The Biocentre York Science Park Heslington YO10 5DG Tel: +44 (0) 1904 567614 Fax: +44 (0) 1904 435356

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Structural study
by Tom Hartley 08 Nov '06

08 Nov '06

Dear All, I'm pleased to announced that we're about to start a new study which will look at the relationship between the size of the hippocampus and performance on a topographical memory task. The aim is to make use of MRI data collected in connection with previous and ongoing studies. We are looking to make contact with potential participants (healthy adults, aged 18-50) who have already had an MRI scan at YNiC or who will have one over the next 6-9 months. An additional constraint is that they should be available to take part in a brief (15-20 minute) psychological test later in the year. If you have already or are about to conduct a study with suitable participants and are willing to help, we would like to hear from you so that we can begin the process of contacting subjects and identifying studies in which they have participated. We aim to make this as easy for you and the potential participants as possible. There is a also a panel of volunteers who have agreed to be approached regarding future studies at YNiC, and we intend to approach these via the Director. To respond, please use the link below (please be careful not to "reply to all"!): mailto:t.hartley@psychology.york.ac.uk;rch504@york.ac.uk?subject=hvt:I-have- a-study You may yourself have had a scan and be interested in participating - if so, please contact us, and we can then begin the process of tracking down your scan and obtaining permission to analyze the data. There is no need to make a firm commitment at this stage, and as with all such studies, you would be free to withdraw at any time. If this fits you, please use the following link to reply to this message: mailto:t.hartley@psychology.york.ac.uk;rch504@york.ac.uk?subject=hvt:I-have- a-study Further information for potential participants is available at: http://www.neuroindex.org/images/b/bf/HVT_Information_revised.pdf Best wishes, Tom Hartley Rachel Harlow =================================== Dr Tom Hartley Dept. of Psychology t.hartley(a)psychology.york.ac.uk http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~th512 ext 2903

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YNiC Training Survey
by Gary Green 06 Nov '06

06 Nov '06

Dear YNiC Users We would like to get your feedback on when would be the most convenient time to run training sessions. Please can you take a few minutes to tick some boxes and make comments on the online form at https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/user-resources/training-survey We will collate the information in two weeks time thanks -- Gary Green York Neuroimaging Centre The Biocentre York Science Park Innovation Way Heslington York YO10 5DG http://www.ynic.york.ac.uk tel. 01904 435349 fax 01904 435356 mobile 07986 778954

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Booking MEG and MRI
by Gary Green 06 Nov '06

06 Nov '06

Dear ynic-users It is good to see that many of you are now using the online booking form for MEG and MRI. https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/user-resources/booking We hope the new procedure is easier than the old method of using email and/or phone. There is a small problem though which we would like to bring to your attention. When you use the online form, you should still wait for confirmation from Claire Fox by email that your session has been booked. This is because several people could, in theory, attempt to book the same hour. Another problem is that some people are attempting to book a session at night for the next day. This is not practical as we need to ensure that an operator is available, that the scanners are available and that all stimulus delivery issues, ethics, and consent are all in place. Please can we ask users to try and book their sessions before the Thursday of the week before they wish to use the scanners. Of course we do not want the scanners to be idle and the resource to be wasted, so, if you want to make a last minute booking and all the practical aspects of scanning are in place, then please ring Claire to discuss the possibility of using the scanners. The key thing then will be availability of operators. -- Gary Green York Neuroimaging Centre The Biocentre York Science Park Innovation Way Heslington York YO10 5DG http://www.ynic.york.ac.uk tel. 01904 435349 fax 01904 435356 mobile 07986 778954

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Update to document pages
by Gary Green 02 Nov '06

02 Nov '06

A geek's corner has been added to the beamforming pages https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/docwiki/BeamformingMaths Details have been changed on the ynicGetEpoch page https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/docwiki/ynicGetEpoch The artefact rejection page has been updated https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/docwiki/Artifact_Rejection

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YNiC training
by Gary Green 01 Nov '06

01 Nov '06

Tomorrow, the annual one day resuscitation course is being run within YNiC. This is primarily for operators and staff at YNiC but if you feel that you might benefit from attending this course then there are a few places available for ynic-users. If you would like to attend please email claire.fox(a)ynic.york.ac.uk It will start at 9.30 and last until mid afternoon. -- Gary Green York Neuroimaging Centre The Biocentre York Science Park Innovation Way Heslington York YO10 5DG http://www.ynic.york.ac.uk tel. 01904 435349 fax 01904 435356 mobile 07986 778954

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trial datasets
by Michael Simpson 31 Oct '06

31 Oct '06

Dear all, when new users arrive at YNiC, some would like to practice using data analysis scripts before they record their own data. As such, we would like to document some of the paradigms that have already been recorded. We would not want to know in detail the specifics of your project, just the basics to allow for a sensible analysis. For example, the following may be enough: "In the data for project Pxxxx, responses were recorded in continuous mode to visual stimuli. There were four conditions which had the respective trigger codes 4150, 4152, 4154 and 4156. Triggers 4150 and 4152 had a group code of 2, and triggers 4154 and 4156 had group codes of 4. Participants made responses to some trials, which have a response code of 32. Suggested epochs for data analysis are 150ms pre-trigger and 900ms post-trigger. Data was recorded for participants Rxxxx, Rxxxy ... Rxyyx." With this information new Users could run a trial analysis without any necessary knowledge of your hypothesis, but enough information about your stimulus parameters to run practice analyses on your data. If you we be happy to provide this information about your data we would be most grateful. We would then put this in some shared space for all Users to access. If however you would like to give a more detailed account of your experiment, then this could contribute towards the initiative that Tony prompted in the email copied below. With thanks, Michael -- Dr Michael Simpson Science Liaison Officer York Neuroimaging Centre Innovation Way York YO10 5DG Tel: 01904 567614 Web: http://www.ynic.york.ac.uk *_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ Copy of mail from Tony Morland date 25th October. Dear All, Since the first beamforming course a number of people have been asking questions like; What can beamforming really do? If I do this and get that, what does it mean? Is beamoforming precise enough to distinguish between activity in brain area A and B? If I do X will it result in data that can be analysed with beamforming? Can virtual electrode traces allow latencies to be measured in brain areas A and B and do they make sense? If I filter in this frequency band rather than that band why do I get this result? The answers to many of these questions are empirical and although Will et al have been striving to test, retest and validate the methods, there will always be questions that can't quite be answered unless more data is acquired/analysed. It appears necessary therefore to start bench marking the beamforming methods that are available. The aim is to undertake a series of empirical studies that will reflect, in broad terms, the types of paradigm used by investigators. My personal preference would be for a set of basic experiments to be devised for which results are predictable and could be compared with previous research. I accept that this is a conservative aim, but the data sets acquired are likely to be the most informative about the capabilities of the beamforming analysis tools. The data acquired would also offer us an excellent resource for training any researchers wishing to undertake investigations using beamforming. Before devising new experiments it would be worth reviewing previous studies undertaken at YNiC to see whether they can be used to bench mark the beamforming methods. To this end, I would be grateful if you could provide me with details of data that you think are suitable for bench marking beamforming. The most helpful form for the information would be the following: Project Number and Title Number of participants and their registered numbers Paradigm used Relevant research (the study replicated) Predicted outcome What you want to test with beamforming Ethical concerns/limitations concerning use of the data I will review the forthcoming information and after that will arrange a brainstorming session on how best to move things forward. Thanks Tony

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MEG / MRI booking
by Michael Simpson 27 Oct '06

27 Oct '06

Dear Users, further to the email sent recently about the format of booking requests, Users may book scan time via a new on-line booking form. https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/user-resources/booking However to cancel a booking please send the following request to bookings(a)ynic.york.ac.uk : CANCEL Date: 31st October 2006 Time: 00.00 Type of Scan: structural MRI Project ID: P0666 Participant ID: R0000 Unfortunately, verbose requests can lead to ambiguities and increase the chances of errors. Please avoid the following style of request: "This is just a request to cancel the time for one subject on Monday of this week (my subject is on holiday LOL!) and then re-book them in to another slot next Friday, for some time in the afternoon (don't mind when), with all the same information, but an amendment to the Stimulus Code from P0666et to P0666aa." Should you need to re-schedule a subject, please simply send a CANCEL request as shown above, and then re-book some new time via the website. Thanks, Michael

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Beamforming
by a.morland＠psychology.york.ac.uk 25 Oct '06

25 Oct '06

Dear All, Since the first beamforming course a number of people have been asking questions like; What can beamforming really do? If I do this and get that, what does it mean? Is beamoforming precise enough to distinguish between activity in brain area A and B? If I do X will it result in data that can be analysed with beamforming? Can virtual electrode traces allow latencies to be measured in brain areas A and B and do they make sense? If I filter in this frequency band rather than that band why do I get this result? The answers to many of these questions are empirical and although Will et al have been striving to test, retest and validate the methods, there will always be questions that can't quite be answered unless more data is acquired/analysed. It appears necessary therefore to start bench marking the beamforming methods that are available. The aim is to undertake a series of empirical studies that will reflect, in broad terms, the types of paradigm used by investigators. My personal preference would be for a set of basic experiments to be devised for which results are predictable and could be compared with previous research. I accept that this is a conservative aim, but the data sets acquired are likely to be the most informative about the capabilities of the beamforming analysis tools. The data acquired would also offer us an excellent resource for training any researchers wishing to undertake investigations using beamforming. Before devising new experiments it would be worth reviewing previous studies undertaken at YNiC to see whether they can be used to bench mark the beamforming methods. To this end, I would be grateful if you could provide me with details of data that you think are suitable for bench marking beamforming. The most helpful form for the information would be the following: Project Number and Title Number of participants and their registered numbers Paradigm used Relevant research (the study replicated) Predicted outcome What you want to test with beamforming Ethical concerns/limitations concerning use of the data I will review the forthcoming information and after that will arrange a brainstorming session on how best to move things forward. Thanks Tony

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Booking Imaging Time
by Michael Simpson 24 Oct '06

24 Oct '06

Dear Users, Can Users who wish to book MRI / MEG please use the bookings(a)ynic.york.ac.uk email address. This address can in theory be checked by all staff, and hence always monitored. If you have made any bookings to an address other than the bookings(a)ynic.york.ac.uk email, please re-send your booking to the correct address. To make things more efficient, and enable the Operator to set up you recording preferences in advance, could your booking include the following (preferably in the following format - see example in post script): Date: Time: Type of scan: (MEG / structural MRI / fMRI) Your Name: Project ID: Participant ID: (If your participant needs to be registered on the database, please attach their registration form). Stimulus Code*: Stimulus Presentation software / apparatus*: (e.g. E-Prime, screen and etymotics) MEG position (Seated / Supine): * Contact your SLO if you don't know what a / your Stimulus Code is. with thanks, Michael P.S. Example booking - Date: 31st October 2006 Type of Scan: structural MRI Project ID: P0666 Participant ID: R0000 Stimulus Cods: P0666et Stimulus Presentation software / apparatus: Visage and Phantom MEG position (Seated / Supine): N/A -- Dr Michael Simpson Science Liaison Officer York Neuroimaging Centre Innovation Way York YO10 5DG Tel: 01904 567614 Web: http://www.ynic.york.ac.uk

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Important update : ethics applications
by Gary Green 12 Oct '06

12 Oct '06

Procedures for applying for ethical approval to conduct research at YNiC have been revised. Details of the new arrangements, along with guidance on how to prepare an application, can be downloaded from the YNiC website at: https://www.ynic.york.ac.uk/information/application/so-you-want-to-use-the-… Please could all new applications for research ethics approval conform to the revised instructions. Thank you. -- Gary Green Director York Neuroimaging Centre The Biocentre York Science Park Innovation Way Heslington York YO10 5DG tel. 01904 435349 fax 01904 435356 mobile 07986 778954

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YNiC system trash
by Mark Hymers 06 Oct '06

06 Oct '06

Due to the fact that user's Trash folders are growing in size again, we have taken the decision that we will start automatically emptying the trash directories at least once a week (initially on Friday evenings). Please note that we do not backup Trash directories at all and any file placed in there should be regarded as deleted. As from next week, we may also decide to empty Trash directories without notice should we need to (for instance we have seen 15G trash directories this week). To assist with this, please empty your Trash directory manually as often as you can (preferably as soon as you've placed anything in it). Mark -- Mark Hymers York Neuroimaging Centre

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Brain Extraction
by Tom Hartley 05 Oct '06

05 Oct '06

Dear fellow ynic-users, You may notice some difficulty removing non-brain tissue from structural MR images obtained at YNiC when using the brain extraction tool (bet - a part of FSL) with its default parameters. Symptoms are that tissue around the brainstem, mouth and throat is not removed. This might adversely affect coregistration. One workaround I know some people have used is to coregister the "unstripped" brain to the "unstripped" reference volume (which seems to work quite well). However, the FSL help strongly recommends removing non-brain tissue, so this might not be the best solution. Bet uses an estimate of the centre of the image to begin the process of finding the inner and outer scalp and brain boundaries. The default estimate doesn't seem to be right for out structural scans. I have had more success using the following from the command line: bet myinfileroot myoutfileroot -c 87 108 165 Where you replace myinfileroot and myoutfileroot with the names of your input and output files (without .hdr or .img on the end). The coordinates 87 108 165 may not be quite right for the centre of your image but the bet algorithm seems to work much better with these values. Best wishes, Tom Hartley =================================== Dr Tom Hartley Dept. of Psychology, University of York Heslington, YO10 5DD UK. t.hartley(a)psychology.york.ac.uk http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~th512 tel: +44 (0)1904 432903

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MEG planned maintenance
by Mark Hymers on behalf of YNiC 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

Hi again, As mentioned in the earlier email about the training session, MEG will be undergoing planned maintenance in the near future. The dates are Friday 29th September until Sunday 8th October. MEG will reopen for use on Monday 9th October. Another important announcement is that we now have a bookings(a)ynic.york.ac.uk email address. This should now be used for bookings instead of emailing Claire directly as it will allow us to cover for her when she isn't around. We'll be updating the web site and documentation to reflect this as soon as we can. Cheers, Mark (on behalf of YNiC) -- Mark Hymers York Neuroimaging Centre

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[ANNOUNCEMENT] YNiC Beamformer Training Session
by Mark Hymers on behalf of YNiC 15 Sep '06

15 Sep '06

Hi all, YNiC are pleased to announce our first formal all-day training session. This will take place on Friday 29th September at YNiC and the subject will be MEG Analysis using Beamforming. This will coincide with our general release of the YNiC Beamforming tools which some users have been beta-testing in the past few weeks. The timetable is as follows: ============================================================================= 0900-0915 Coffee and brief welcome talk 0915-1000 Talk: Introduction to Beamforming 1000-1030 Demo: How to use Beamforming at YNiC (Demonstration data) 1030-1045 Coffee break 1045-1130 Workshop: Using the Beamformer 1130-1215 Talk: Common pitfalls in MEG data analysis 1215-1300 LUNCH: (Sandwich buffet will be provided) 1300-1345 Talk and discussion: Review of results on test data 1345-1430 Talk: Why is nothing working? How to troubleshoot 1430-1445 Coffee break 1445-1530 Talk: Virtual electrodes 1530-1630 Workshop: Using virtual electrodes and examining your own data ============================================================================= To make sure that people get the most out of this training session, there will be a limit of 25 participants. Due to this training session, the YNiC Open Plan will be closed all day on the 29th to those not attending the training session. MEG will be undergoing planned maintenance that day and so will also be closed (a further announcement about this will follow soon). As this is the first YNiC training session, we will be providing lunch for the course attendees to celebrate the first of what we hope will be many such courses. To register for this course please email training(a)ynic.york.ac.uk with your name and email address. Registration will close when we have 25 people or on Friday 22nd September (although we expect places to fill up quickly). Finally, we will soon be running a poll on the YNiC website to find out the best times to run future training courses. Again, we will make an announcement about this soon. Thanks, Mark (On behalf of everyone at YNiC) -- Mark Hymers York Neuroimaging Centre

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Structural Scans
by a.morland＠psychology.york.ac.uk 12 Sep '06

12 Sep '06

Dear All, Thanks to some work from Andre, it has now been determined that the current structurals are fit for purpose. Although the scalp identification is a little noisy, the fits to the scalp information derived in MEG do not appear to be unduly compromised. So, structural scans can be acquired for the use with MEG data. Although Andre has checked the registration of the MRI and MEG scalp information on a few data sets, it really would be helpful if all users who acquire such data could visually inspect their registrations (the docwiki has information on how this can be done). Please alert us to any discrepant registrations and proceed with caution. Sorry for the rapid turn around on this issue. I am loath to recommend scanning when the images are clearly not of the quality that we have previously obtained, but in this case I think we can proceed (with caution). The change in the image quality will still be pursued with GE. Happy scanning! Tony

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MRI Operational and Structural MRI
by a.morland＠psychology.york.ac.uk 12 Sep '06

12 Sep '06

Dear All, As some of you may be aware, the recent MRI upgrade has introduced an undesirable effect on the acquisition of structural anatomy scans, which are routinely used in MEG analysis. The problem is subtle, but the code that automatically identifies the skull runs less smoothly on the recently acquired data. GE have been informed. As of now, structured MRIs for the use with MEG will not be acquired, unless there are some exceptional circumstances. MEG data can be acquired, but participants will have to be rescheduled for their structural MRIs. Please note however, that self-contained MRI studies will not be affected in the same way because they are not so critically dependent on identification of the skull surface. Thus, acquisition of functional data and structurals (for registration) can proceed. On a more positive note, the MRI scanner is up and running today. Tony

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Shape/texture experiment - participants wanted
by Cristiana Pratesi 11 Sep '06

11 Sep '06

Researchers at the University of Durham are seeking healthy volunteers to participate in neuroimaging experiments using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The experiments will be performed at the York Neuroimaging Center using a 3Tesla magnet. We will start a new experiment in the next couple of weeks and participants will be asked to discriminate visual objects on the basis of their geometrical (shape) or surface (texture) features. Visual stimuli are images of 3D objects, and behavioural responses will be collected via button press. Typical sessions last for 1-2 hours, and involve lying still in the scanner while brain images are recorded. For detailed information about the experiment see attached file. The experiment is part of a research project based at the University of Durham. The experimenter is Dr. Cristiana Cavina-Pratesi and the main investigators are Prof. D. Milner; Prof. C. Heywood and Prof. R. Kentridge. If you are interested, read the information below and if you think to be eligible for participating, please fell free to contact Dr. Cristiana Cavina-Pratesi cristiana.cavina-pratesi(a)durham.ac.uk for further information. Your name will be entered in a database. You can decide to remove your name from the database at any time and you are always free to decline when an experimenter contacts you. To be eligible to participate, you must: a.. have no metal in your body (fillings are okay) b.. not be claustrophobic c.. be able to remain relatively still for periods of 5-8 minutes d.. be in good health and have no history of neurological disorders (e.g., epileptic seizures, head injuries) e.. be able to see without glasses (contacts are okay) at arms' length (for vision experiments); Thanks in advance for your attention Cristiana Cavina-Pratesi

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Royal Society Meeting on Mental Processes in the Human Brain
by Michael Simpson 05 Sep '06

05 Sep '06

Dear all, this may be of interest to you ... > A Royal Society discussion meeting on "Mental Processes in the Human Brain" has > been organised by Jon Driver, Patrick Haggard and Tim Shallice from the UCL > Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, for Oct 16-17 2006, at the Royal Society > in London. > The programme and flyer are available on: > http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/downloaddoc.asp?id=2835 > This Royal Society meeting is free to attend, but on-line pre-registration is > *essential*. To register, please click on www.royalsoc.ac.uk/events Then under the > "Choose month to view" box, click on Oct 2006 from the drop-down selection and > then click "go". If you then click on the title of the event (Mental Processes > in the Human Brain) you will get the option to "Register for this Event".Please > note the overlap of dates with the rescheduled Society for Neurosciences > meeting in the USA. Despite this unfortunate timetable clash, the Royal Society > meeting is still expected to be heavily oversubscribed; hence early > registration as above is strongly recommended > Rosalyn Lawrence, ICN Secretary, for the Organisers > John Draper > Departmental Administrator > Psychology Department > UCL > Gower Street > London WC1E 6BT > tel: 020 7679 5338 > fax: 020 7436 4276 j.draper(a)ucl.ac.uk http://www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/john.draper/john.html -- Dr Michael Simpson Science Liaison Officer York Neuroimaging Centre Innovation Way York YO10 5DG Tel: 01904 567614 Web: http://www.ynic.york.ac.uk

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Image of the Month
by Michael Simpson 05 Sep '06

05 Sep '06

Dear all, As of this email, the YNiC Image of the Month competition is live. Let me explain ... Each month YNiC is encouraging Users to submit an image of general interest, plus up to 100 words of explanatory text, into the Image of the Month contest. The best image will then be put on the web and published along with its text for a month. So, do you fancy seeing your work held up as an example of the science that is being carried out at YNiC? If so, email your images and text to: iotm(a)ynic.york.ac.uk Please send your images in .jpg (or similar format) to keep the file size small. Images will be judged by YNiC staff for both their aesthetic and scientific content. So, make your pictures pretty, but also make sure they explain something of the hypothesis which you are testing. Your 100 words will be essential in swinging this part of the vote! Good luck, Michael -- Dr Michael Simpson Science Liaison Officer York Neuroimaging Centre Innovation Way York YO10 5DG Tel: 01904 567614 Web: http://www.ynic.york.ac.uk

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Image of the Month
by Michael Simpson 29 Aug '06

29 Aug '06

Dear all, there's only a few days left before September begins, could you have August's Image of the Month sitting in your homespace? If you think there is even a small possibility that this might be the case, don't hesitate to send it to iotm(a)ynic.york.ac.uk with your 100 words of descriptive text. Right, I'm eagerly awaiting a flood of jpgs ... Thanks, Michael -- Dr Michael Simpson Science Liaison Officer York Neuroimaging Centre Innovation Way York YO10 5DG Tel: 01904 567614 Web: http://www.ynic.york.ac.uk

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booking scanner time
by Gary Green 16 Aug '06

16 Aug '06

Dear Colleagues As The Centre is becoming busier and busier we now do have to make sure that bookings for the scanners works well for all users. We are conscious that we should be sharing time on the scanners in as equitable manner as possible. Some users have been sticking to their allocation whereas others have exceeded it by many,many hours. That was fine during the commissioning period but now with over 50 projects in progress, we do have to ensure that allocation of time is as even as possible. Given that we also need an income stream (the Centre costs nearly £1000 a day to run) we do have to give some priority to those who pay some money. We also have only a small number of operators for MEG and the fact that they have other roles as SLOs for a large number of projects, means that it is extremely difficult to respond to those users who want to make a last minute booking. At the same time, no one wants to see the scanners not being used when there is some science to be done. So.. Please can users help us by booking in the following way The scanner can only be booked by emailing Claire Fox. No one else can make the booking in the database. Please book the scanner (MEG or MRI) by Thursday of the week before you want to scan. You don't have to know the name of the participant at that stage. This helps us by allowing us to plan the diaries of the operators and the SLOs for the following week. It means that we can be more effective in supporting the wide range of projects. Please email the details of the participant to Claire by at least the day before the actual scan. This allows Claire to enter the participant's details into the database. This is essential. To access your data you will need to know the participant's ID in the database. If you do not have this the automated uploading of MEG & MRI information, the automated brain extraction, the conversion of the MEG files to be readable by Matlab or Python does not happen. Valuable scanning time is being lost when users try and get the participant ID at the time of their booking. If you have difficulty recruiting a participant then email Claire and we will place an advert on the webpage for you. This needs to be done well in advance of the scan booking of course. If you have not managed to recruit someone then please do not just go into the open plan area and ask for a volunteer. This puts undue pressure on the users doing their work there and this is unethical. We have had several complaints from students in particular that they feel that cannot say no to staff requests. If you cannot recruit someone then tell Claire to postpone your booking. If you just don't turn up you will lose that time from your allocation. If you need to book the scanner at the last minute. Please email the director to discuss your requirements. Please do not ask Claire. Claire is not in a position to judge who should get special attention and again this puts her in a difficult position if she feels that she turn down your request. We don't want to see the scanner being idle, but we do have to make sure that resource is available to provide an operator. Eventually, when we have enough paying users, we will have a full time set of operators to help all MEG requests. We are allowing teams who can operate the scanners to take advantage of 'free' time on the scanners. Why not join one of the MEG or MRI training programmes in the autumn to learn how to be an operator. If this is not clear, or you feel that there is a better way, why not email me or the ynic-users group to discuss it. Gary -- Gary Green Director York Neuroimaging Centre The Biocentre York Science Park Innovation Way Heslington York YO10 5DG tel. 01904 435349 fax 01904 435356 mobile 07986 778954

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