New MEG lab to study workings of the brain
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The MEG system allows non-invasive measurements of brain activity by recording magnetic fields at 160 different sites around the head. |
The Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science (MACCS) will become home to the Southern Hemisphere's first laboratory for functional brain imaging using magnetoencephalography (MEG).
The MEG laboratory is made possible by an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grant, in collaboration with Japan's Kanazawa Institute of Technology (KIT), and partner institutions across Australia and New Zealand.
The MEG system is a brain imaging device which measures how the brain processes information.
"When we are thinking or processing any type of information our brains generate magnetic fields," says ARC Federation Fellow, Professor Stephen Crain. "MEG measures the magnetic fields that are associated with current flow generated by neuronal activity in the brain as information is being processed."
The system itself needs to be protected from all other magnetic fields, such as the Earth's magnetic field, so the MEG system will be placed in a shielded room, which is currently being constructed by KIT and the Yokogawa Electric Corporation.
The MEG system at MACCS will allow non-invasive measurements of brain activity by recording magnetic fields at 160 different sites around the head. Research conducted in the MEG laboratory falls into three main areas: language, perceptual processing and schizophrenia. Work will be undertaken by researchers at MACCS, the University of Newcastle, Swinburne University, the Australian National University, the University of Melbourne and the University of Auckland. These partner universities have all put funds into the project and Macquarie University has generously provided funds as well as ample space for the laboratory.
The ARC Linkage grant of $650,000 will contribute to the cost of equipment, with the total funding for the laboratory amounting to $1.1 million.
Postgraduate opportunities
There will be a number of opportunities for postdoctorates and PhD students within MACCS this year. They will all have the opportunity to work with the MEG system, if they wish.
"We're looking to appoint three postdocs and five PhD students," says ARC Federation Fellow and Scientific Director of MACCS, Professor Max Coltheart. "The only issue for us is office space; I think we can accommodate five without any trouble at all."
MEG system for children
MACCS is currently waiting on news of another grant which would allow them to build a second MEG system in the same facility.
"We have submitted an ARC industrial partner's grant with KIT and Yokogawa to develop the world's first MEG system that is specifically designed to be used with children," says Crain.
A separate system is needed to provide useful results from MEG studies with children.
"When your brain's activity is being imaged, your head is inside a helmet that contains liquid helium," explains Coltheart. "The further the sensors are away from the region of the brain they are measuring, the less sensitive they are. So a small child with a big helmet on doesn't provide good results." Therefore, the child MEG system will be designed to accommodate children's smaller heads.
Official opening
The Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Sciences will officially open the MEG laboratory in May this year. It will provide a vehicle for international collaboration and enable Australia to remain at the forefront of research in the cognitive neurosciences.
For further information contact Professor Stephen Crain at stephen.crain@mq.edu.au or Professor Max Coltheart at max.coltheart@mq.edu.au