Prospectus | 08/09 - Psychology and Neuroscience - Maastricht ...

Prospectus Research Master Psychology 2008 • 2009
| 521CN Diffusion Weighted Imaging and Fiber Tracking – 1 credit
Coordinator: Alard Roebroeck, Cognitive Neuroscience (FPN), Phone 38 84039,
40 Universiteitssingel East, Room 4.749, E-mail: a.roebroeck@psychology.unimaas.nl
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Description of the Course
Diffusion weighted imaging and fiber tracking are a set of techniques that use the
Magnetic Resonance (MR) scanner to probe fiber-bundles that connect different
regions of the brain. Thus, instead of the cerebral grey matter, it is the white matter
that is the object of study. The connections between brain-regions are the substrate of
the interaction and communication between different brain systems. Thus, knowledge
about the anatomy of these anatomical connections is of great importance to cognitive
neuroscientists. The anatomy of fiber-tracts is imaged indirectly, by measuring the
diffusion of water in the brain. Water diffuses more easily parallel to the direction of
surrounding axon-bundles, than perpendicular to it. Thus, by measuring the direction
of local diffusion of water, we can infer something about the trajectories of fiberbundles.
After completing this training, the student will have knowledge of i) how the
MR scanner can be made sensitive to directed diffusion of water and how the resulting
diffusion weighted images can be processed, ii) different models for local water
diffusion within a voxel, along with useful quantities that can be derived from them,
iii) fiber tracking or tractography: how to get from local models of water diffusion to
measures of global connectivity between brain regions. Furthermore, the student will
get hands-on experience in analyzing and visualizing actual diffusion weighted MRdata,
and in using tractography algorithms and assessing the results.
Literature
• Handouts;
• Journal articles.
Instructional Approach
Lectures, computer sessions, combined in an interactive format.
Form of Assessment
Analysis exercises throughout the training.
| 522CN Data Management – 1 credit
Coordinator: Arjan Blokland, Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology (FPN), Phone 388
1903, 40 Universiteitssingel East, Room 2.731, E-mail: a.blokland@psychology.unimaas.nl
Description of the Course
The aim of this skills training is to acquire basis skills in data management. After doing
your scientific research, data have to be prepared for data analysis. Usually, the format
of the data acquisition software does not match the requirements of sophisticated
statistical software packages (e.g., SPSS or SAS). In this skills training, students will be
familiarized with the software package Excel. This program has many features that