Advanced Multimodal Neuroimaging Training
Program
PREDOCTORAL PROGRAM
APPLICATION
INSTRUCTIONS
Research Plan
 Please limit the project description to 1/2 to 3/4 page.
 Briefly describe your research goals, both those pertaining directly to the work of the proposed
research project and those that define your long-term research goals.
 Describe the roles of your primary mentor and co-mentor in your research and training plans. Please
be aware that it is expected that the mentorship team comprises expertise in both imaging technology
and neuroscience.
Education Plan
 List the additional courses you will take that are not already part of the curriculum of your principal
area of study (see accompanying list of suggested courses)
Email completed application form and NIH Biosketch to: nichole@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
Version 9/12
Advanced Multimodal Neuroimaging Training
Program
Preferred Start Date
(yyyy-mm-dd):
Name:
Mailing Address:
Email:
Previous Training
School:
Degree(s) Received:
Year(s) Received:
Field(s) of Study:
Proposed Mentors
Primary Mentor:
Department, Institution
Area of Expertise:
Email:
RESEARCH PLAN
Title of Project:
Project Description:
PREDOCTORAL TRAINING
APPLICATION
Citizenship
US Citizen or US NonCitizen National
Permanent resident of US
Other
Present Graduate Program
School:
Harvard University
Harvard Medical School
HST
MIT
Department:
Program:
Date Entered:
Joint Mentor:
Department, Institution
Area of Expertise:
Email:
EDUCATION PLAN
A goal of the program is to promote an integrated curriculum that combines neuroscience with the physical and
biological principles, technologies, and data analytic methods of neuroimaging by encouraging students to take
courses and participate in activities that are outside their traditional area of study. List the courses and activities that
will augment your interdisciplinary research goals during the training year. A list of some suggested courses and
activities is included on the following page; you are not limited to these courses.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The financial support provided by this training program will not cover the full costs of graduate tuition and stipend for
most students. It is the policy of this program, in line with NIH guidelines for research training programs, that additional
funds to supplement stipend and tuition must come from a non-federal funding source. This requirement must be
considered in planning for application to this program, and it is expected that the student, advisor(s), and graduate
administrators in the student’s department have discussed preliminary plans to supplement the training grant award
prior to application.
Please confirm that you understand this policy, and that you have discussed plans to supplement the training grant
award with the necessary persons.
I have read and understand the policy on supplementation
I have discussed plans for supplemental support, should it be needed, with my advisor and graduate administrators
In accepting an appointment to this training program, you are agreeing to accept the terms of the NIH award that funds
this program as well as any institutional terms related to the administration of the award. You also agree to
acknowledge the training program support in any presentation or publication of research results acquired while
receiving training grant support.
SIGNATURES
____________________________
Applicant
_________________________________
Primary Mentor
BIOSKETCH
Please attach current NIH biosketch
_______________________________
Joint Mentor
DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
This information is required by the National Institutes of Health, and will be used for statistical reporting purposes only.
Sex
Male
Female
Race / Ethnicity
1. Are you Hispanic or Latino
(of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or descent, regardless of race)?
Hispanic or Latino
Not Hispanic or Latino
2. What is your racial background?
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Black or African American
White
Other
Suggested Courses and Activities
A goal of the program is to promote an integrated curriculum that combines neuroscience with the physical and
biological principles, technologies, and data analytic methods of neuroimaging by encouraging students to take courses
and participate in activities that are outside their traditional area of study.
Interdisciplinary courses are offered at Harvard and MIT and should supplement the requirements of the student’s
home graduate program. For a neuroscience-oriented student, this may mean taking engineering or physics oriented
courses for image acquisition or image analysis, or for physical and computationally oriented students, taking basic and
clinical neuroscience courses. Harvard and MIT students will be able to freely cross-register for courses at both
institutions. Many other courses are also available.
Other, less formal educational activities may include journal clubs, seminar series, lab meetings, short courses,
conferences etc. Trainees will be allotted $750 to defray the cost of attending one scientific meeting, preferably
complimentary to, but outside his/her typical field.
Neuroscience courses
Neurobiology 200
Introduction to Neurobiology
Modern neuroscience from molecular neurobiology to perception and cognition.
Includes cell biology of neurons and glia; ion channels and electrical signaling; synaptic
transmission and integration; chemical systems; brain anatomy and development;
sensory systems; motor systems; higher cognitive function.
Neurobiology 204
Neurophysiology of Central
Circuits
Neurobiology 207 Developmental
Neurobiology
Introduction to the physiology of circuits in the vertebrate central nervous system.
Topics include the auditory, somatosensory, olfactory, visual and oculomotor systems.
Neurobiology 209
Neurobiology of Disease
Designed for graduate students interested in diseases and disorders of the nervous
system. One weekly session involves patient presentations and "core" lectures
describing progression, pathology and basic science underlying a major disease or
disorder. During a second weekly session, students present material from original
literature sources, and there is discussion.
BCS 9.011
Systems Neuroscience
Survey of principles underlying the structure and function of the nervous system, with a
focus on systems approaches. Topics: development of the nervous system and its
connections, sensory systems of the brain, the motor system, higher cortical functions,
behavioral and cellular analyses of learning and memory. A survey of brain and
behavioral studies for first-year graduate students. Open to graduate students in other
departments with permission of instructor.
BCS 9.100
Cognitive Neuroscience
Course topics explore the relations between neural systems and cognition, emphasizing
attention, vision, language, motor control, and memory. An introduction to basic
neuroanatomy, functional imaging techniques, and behavioral measures of cognition is
given with discussion of methods by which inferences about the brain bases of cognition
are made. Evidence from patients with neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's
disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Balint's syndrome, amnesia, and focal
lesions from stroke is given as well as from normal human participants.
HST 130
Introduction to Neuroscience
This team-taught, comprehensive course explores major concepts in neuroscience on
several levels ranging from molecules and cells through neural systems, perception
cognition and behavior. Aspects of neuropharmacology, pathophysiology, neurology,
Development of the nervous system. Topics include: delineation of neural vs. non-neural
tissues; axial and segmental patterning; cell lineage; specification of neuronal identity;
axonal outgrowth and guidance; synapse formation and regression; hormonal influences
on nervous system development.
and psychiatry are covered as well. Class meets three times per week for lecture
followed by conferences and/or laboratories. Laboratories review neuroanatomy of
brain and spinal cord at the gross and microscopic levels.
Courses on Fundamental Principles of Neuroimaging – Acquisition and Analysis
HST 550
This course, focusing on the computational aspects of medical imaging, will be
Medical Image Analysis
developed and taught by a team of faculty drawn from HST, MIT EECS, and HMS that
participate in the local laboratories currently pursuing research and development of
medical image analysis. The class will have a strong computational laboratory
component in which the students will solve application problems using tools that are in
common usage in the field. The course will focus on the major areas of medical image
post-processing, including techniques for modeling, quantification, surgical planning and
the analysis of functional information. It will develop those areas of statistics, including
biostatistics, that are germane to medical image analysis, including estimation, the
theory of linear models, hypothesis testing, issues arising from small samples, calculation
of confidence and power, and statistical parametric mapping. Topics from advanced
linear systems will be covered, specifically the analysis of diffusion tensor MRI. The
major application areas of segmentation and registration will be covered with respect
the analysis of MRI, CT, XRAY, PET, SPECT, fMRI, EEG, MEG, and electrocorticography.
HST 210
Clinical Applications of
Neuroimaging
This one-month course will occur during the Winter IAP (Inter-Academic Period) session.
The course will be taught from a clinical case based perspective and will include field
trips to observe clinical imaging. Topics to be covered include clinical service imaging
(e.g. DWI for stroke diagnosis, prognosis, treatment response), neurosurgical
applications such as Image-guided Therapy and Image-guided Surgery. The course will
also cover state of the art imaging for: Pain Disorders, Tumors, Epilepsy, Dementia
(Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s), Schizophrenia, Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Substance
Abuse, and Pre-surgical planning. A module covering ethical issues in imaging will be
included that deals with special populations: children, elderly, psychiatrically impaired.
HST 584
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Techniques
Introduction to basic NMR theory. Examples of biochemical data obtained using NMR
summarized along with other related experiments. Detailed study of NMR imaging
techniques includes discussions of basic cross-sectional image reconstruction, image
contrast, flow and real-time imaging, and hardware design considerations. Exposure to
laboratory NMR spectroscopic and imaging equipment included.
HST 582
Biomedical Signal and Image
Processing
Fundamentals of digital signal processing with particular emphasis on problems in
biomedical research and clinical medicine. Basic principles and algorithms for data
acquisition, imaging, filtering and feature extraction. Laboratory projects provide
practical experience in processing physiological data, with examples from
neurophysiology, cardiology, speech processing, and medical imaging.
Provides information relevant to the conduct and interpretation of human brain
mapping studies. In-depth coverage of the physics of image formation, mechanisms of
image contrast, and the physiological basis for image signals. Parenchymal and
cerebrovascular neuroanatomy and application of sophisticated structural analysis
algorithms for segmentation and registration of functional data discussed. Additional
topics include fMRI experimental design including block design, event-related and
exploratory data analysis methods, and building and applying statistical models for fMRI
data. Human subject issues including informed consent, institutional review board
requirements and safety in the high field environment are presented. Twice-weekly
lectures and weekly laboratory and discussion sessions. Laboratory includes fMRI data
acquisition sessions and data analysis workshops. Assignments include reading of both
textbook chapters and primary literature as well as fMRI data analysis in the laboratory.
HST 583
Functional MRI: Data Acquisition
and Analysis.
HST 563
Imaging Biophysics & Clinical
Applications
HST 561/BCS9.173J
Noninvasive Imaging in Biology
& Medicine
HST 565
Molecular Imaging using SPECT &
PET-CT
HST 580
Data Acquisition & Image
Reconstruction in MRI
HST 569
Biomedical Optics
Introduction to the connections and distinctions among various imaging modalities
(ultrasound, MRI, EEG, optical), common goals of biomedical imaging, broadly defined
target of biomedical imaging, and the current practical and economic landscape of
biomedical imaging research. Emphasis on applications of imaging research. Final project
consists of student groups writing mock grant applications for biomedical imaging
research project, modeled after an exploratory National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant
application.
Background in the theory and application of noninvasive imaging methods in biology and
medicine, with emphasis on neuroimaging. Focuses on the modalities most frequently
used in scientific research (x-ray CT, PET/SPECT, MRI, and optical imaging), and includes
discussion of molecular imaging approaches used in conjunction with these scanning
methods. Lectures are supplemented by in-class discussions of problems in research and
demonstrations of imaging systems.
Covers the physical and instrumentation basics of positron emission tomography (PET)
and single photon emission tomography (SPECT). Topics include atomic and nuclear
structure, charged particles and photon interactions, radiation detectors, pulse height
sprectroscopy, detection and measurement, counting systems, survey meters, nuclear
counting statistics, modes of radioactive decay, gamma cameras, collimators, and
computed tomography as it pertains to SPECT, PET (including PET-CT, PET-MR and Time
of Flight PET). Presents physical factors affecting image quality, such as Compton scatter,
random coincidences, photoelectric absorption, deadtime, etc., as well as different
approaches to compensate for them. Discusses clinical applications of PET and includes a
practical demonstration of SPECT and PET-CT imaging at the Massachusetts General
Hospital.
Applies analysis of signals and noise in linear systems, sampling, and Fourier properties
to magnetic resonance (MR) imaging acquisition and reconstruction. Provides adequate
foundation for MR physics to enable study of RF excitation design, efficient Fourier
sampling, parallel encoding, reconstruction of non-uniformly sampled data, and the
impact of hardware imperfections on reconstruction performance. Surveys active areas
of MR research. Assignments include Matlab-based work with real data. Includes visit to
a scan site for human MR studies.
Introduction to physics and engineering of optical technologies and their applications in
medicine and biology. Propagation of light in tissue, bright field, dark field, phase
contrast, DIC, fluorescence, Raman, confocal, two-photon, low-coherence, spectral
microscopy, and speckle. Current trends in microscopy and optical imaging. Subject is
appropriate for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students in life sciences and
engineering. Subject consists of lectures, seminars and occasional guest lectures.
Grading based on mid-term and final report. Report analyzes a specific technological
need in medicine or biology and proposes a solution. The opportunity to pursue the
implementation of the solution as a project in the following term is available.