Neuroimaging for Clinical Research

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2009:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Topics covered include:

Expert briefings on the current research questions in dementias, movement disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.
Major emphasis on cutting-edge human imaging techniques
Cognitive functioning
Research techniques in clinical neurophysiology
Introduction to neuroimaging techniques
Principles of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Practical demonstration of language functional MRI
Structural MR imaging and clinical research applications
Functional MR imaging and clinical research applications
Analysis of MR imaging
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and research applications
New frontiers in multi-disciplinary clinical neuroscience research

A 2 hour examination that assesses the learning from the entire subject (40%), a comprehensive clinical neuroscience project proposal formatted as a grant submission, including potential multi-disciplinary collaborations and drawing on the course contents (and previous professional experience if relevant) (2,500 words) (60%).

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students who successfully complete this subject will:

Demonstrate a high level of understanding of various advanced clinical research techniques that have broad application to many areas of neuroscience
Understand clinical research applications of brain imaging techniques
Understand the need for multi-disciplinary integration in clinical research and be able to establish appropriate collaborations across disciplines
Have gained insights into current research applications of these techniques across the various neuroscience disciplines
Be able to develop innovative strategies to investigate clinical neuroscience research questions to pursue in response to particular neurological problems
Have achieved a level of competency enabling them to create and conduct high quality clinical neuroscience research projects from the original concept through to submission of competitive research proposals