NEWS FROM RESEARCH

NSF Funds Brain Imaging Center
The National Science Foundation has awarded the university nearly $2 million to establish a brain imaging center, which will bring together researchers from across campus to study the neural basis of language, emotion and thought. "This center will enable the University of Maryland to become a leader in the areas of cognitive and affective developmental neuroscience," says Nathan Fox, distinguished university professor of human development and principal investigator of the project.

The centerpiece of the Brain Imaging Center at Maryland will be a new functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, scanner. The 14-ton, 10-foot-long machine shows activity of various brain structures by measuring oxygenated blood flow, compared to a traditional MRI, a technology that reveals just the internal structure of the brain.

Fox and other researchers in human development will use the fMRI technology to examine brain activity as children learn to read, develop memory skills and deal with acceptance or rejection. The university's Center for Advanced Study of Language, or CASL, will use the machine to investigate the brain regions involved in foreign language learning and use. Researchers at CASL will look at proficiency differences among individuals, and how changes in time pressure and anxiety affect language performance.

Professor Robert Dooling is the director of the university's Neuroscience and Cognitive Science program, which led the initiative to create the brain imaging center. He expects the center to lead to new interdisciplinary research and courses to train faculty and graduate students on fMRI technology.