Announcements 2010
December 15, 2010 - CFMRI access during 2010 winter holiday.
The entry door to the CFMRI building will remain locked during the 2010 winter holiday period (12/18/2010 to 01/02/2011). Access to the building will only be available by entry card. If your entry card needs reprogramming, please contact Peter (pywong@ucsd.edu) asap. We wish everyone a happy holiday season.
December 8, 2010 - CFMRI will be open during the 2010 Winter Holidays.
In order to serve the needs of the research community, the Center for Functional MRI will remain open during the official UCSD winter holiday closure from 12/18/2010 to 01/02/2011. Both the 3T West and 3T East scanners and the mock scanner will be fully available. Operators requiring CFMRI staff assistance should make prior arrangements with individual staff members as support during the holidays will be limited.
In case of emergency, please follow the emergency procedures posted on the wall of each control room. All other non-emergency problems should be reported through the online scheduling system. Campus parking is free during the holiday closure. However, please remember that your subject still needs to display a parking permit in the Center's reserved spaces.
October 6, 2010 - CFMRI Reserved Parking back to Osler Lane on October 11th, 2010
We are pleased to inform you that the Center’s Reserved Parking Spaces (133D and 134D) will be relocated back to their usual positions on Osler Lane, just past the Center, with effect from Monday, October 11th. The spaces will be identified by “RESERVED Center for Functional MRI” signs on poles in front of the spaces and the relevant space number (133D/134D) painted on the ground in each space. See photos below. Please remember to let all your subjects know about the change.
We have also been informed that the meters will not return to Osler Lane. These spaces are now "Visitor" spaces for use by daily/hourly permit holders. Permits are available at the nearest Paystation or Gilman Information Booth.
Thank you all for your patience over the past few months while construction was in progress near the Center. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Mary O’Malley at momalley@ucsd.edu or (858) 822 0513.
September 20, 2010 - Mock Scanner at CFMRI
We are pleased to announce that effective from September 27th (Monday) the mock scanner at CFMRI is officially available for use by the fMRI community. The mock scanner simulates the look and feel of a real MRI scanner, allowing research subjects to be prepared for functional MRI scans prior to going into real scans. Use of the mock scanner has been shown to increase the rate of successful data acquisitions and the quality of fMRI data. If you are interested in using the mock scanner, please download and read the Policies and Procedures for using the Mock Scanner from the Policies section of our website (http://fmri.ucsd.edu/pdf/MockScannerPolicy.pdf). This document contains important information about requesting mock scanner access, training and billing.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments regarding the mock scanner.
September 20, 2010 - Upcoming Fall 2010 Related Courses
Bioengineering 280A. Principles of Biomedical Imaging
Time: Tuesdays/Thursday 9:30-10:50 AM, Powell-Focht Bioengineering Hall Room 161
Contact: Thomas Liu - ttliu@ucsd.edu
Fundamentals of Fourier transform and linear systems theory including convolution,
sampling, noise, filtering, image reconstruction, and visualization with an emphasis on applicationsto biomedical imaging.Examples from CT, MRI, EEG, and MEG, with a focus on functional brain connectivity.
Course URL: http://fmri.ucsd.edu/ttliu/BE280A_10.html
SOMI-276A. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Cognitive Neuroscience: Foundations
Prerequisite: None
Time: Tuesday and Thursday, 2:00-3:30, CFMRI Conference Room
Contact: David Dubowitz - dubowitz@ucsd.edu
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) is an essential tool for the study of brain activity correlates of sensory, perceptual, and cognitive functions. This course is the first of a series of 3 courses, and aims to provide an introduction to functional neuroimaging. Students will gain a grounding in the fundamental physical principles of magnetic resonance imaging, the underlying neurochemistry and energetics that make functional neuroimaging possible, and will learn how functional MRI can provide insights into neural physiology and cognition function. The course will include hands-on tutorials with an introduction to using MRI scanners, so that students will understand how FMRI data are generated and can be assessed for quality.
Course URL: http://learnfmri.ucsd.edu
June 4, 2010 - Relocation of Reserved Parking Spaces
Beginning Thursday, Jun 10th, the two reserved parking spaces (133D and 134D) allocated to CFMRI will be moved to a new location at the front of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Building. Please click the link below for more details and a map showing the location of the new parking spaces.
http://fmri.ucsd.edu/download/CFMRIReservedParkingUpdate.pdf
Please make sure that all your subjects are aware of the new reserved parking location. If you need any help, please contact Mary O'Malley at (858)822-0513 or momalley@ucsd.edu.
June 2, 2010 - Exam Room 2 - Available for Scheduling
We are pleased to announce that Exam Room 2 (just off the Multi Purpose Room) is now available for scheduling on the CFMRI Webschedule http://fmri.ucsd.edu/webschedule.html
You can use your PI account on the Webschedule system to login and book Exam Room 2 in the same way as you already schedule Exam Room 1 (previously called the Waiting Room). If your login does not work please e-mail Eman Ghobrial (eghobrial@ucsd.edu).
There is no charge for use of the Exam Rooms but it is expected that they will be used in conjunction with booked scanner time.
When using the Exam Rooms, please remember to:
- Change the slider sign from Available to In Use when you enter the Exam Room
- Change the slider sign from In Use to Available when you leave the Exam Room.
- Turn off the lights when you leave the Exam Rooms.
May 19, 2010 - New fMRI protocol available on 3twest
We have made a new fMRI protocol, which is a slightly modified version of the GE product EPI protocol. The new protocol is called "EPI CFMRI rampsamp" and can be found on 3twest under fmri3tw->Adult->Head->fMRI_Basic.
This new protocol allows users to turn on/off fermi filtering through a userCV (CV4). Note that Fermi filtering is on by default in the GE product EPI protocol. Fermi filtering introduces additional smoothness into the raw images which may not be desired by groups who do their own smoothing in the post processing. For example, the standard protocol for the FBIRN multi-site study mandates that Fermi filtering is disabled for all EPI fMRI scans. For users, starting new studies on the MR750, we recommend that you disable fermi filtering for your fMRI scans.
The new protocol also adds another userCV (CV7) to allow turning on and off physiological recording using the GE built-in physio system on the MR750. Both user CVs can be accessed by clicking the "advanced Tab" on the scanner. A quick instruction on how to use the GE physio system can be downloaded from our website http://fmri.ucsd.edu/download/GEPhysio.pdf. Please note that we do not currently support retrospective physiological noise correction (RETRICOR) using data collected from the GE built-in system. An updated software package for physiological noise correction will be made available later this year. We will also continue to support the old-style of physiological recording.
Please feel free to contact David Shin (ddshin@ucsd.edu) or Kun Lu (kunlu@ucsd.edu; out of the office until May 30th) if you have any questions about using this new fMRI protocol.
April 14, 2010 - fMRI Users Group Meeting: Updates on MR750
Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Time: 4:00-5:30pm
Place: Leichtag 107The tentative agenda for this meeting is:
(a) Status of the MR750 upgrade
(b) Update on latest technical developments
(c) Remodeling projects at the CFMRI
(d) User experience with the MR750
April 2, 2010 - Construction Alert - Exam Room 2
We are pleased to announce that we are adding a second Exam Room at the Center in response to requests from our users for additional exam space. The new Exam Room 2 will be constructed in the Multi-Purpose Room area between the two scanner suites, on the east side opposite to where the copier and printers are currently located. This link http://fmri.ucsd.edu/download/ExamRoom2.pdf provides a 3DView of the proposed remodel in that area. (Please note that the final configuration has not been decided and could vary from what is shown.)
The construction will start on Wednesday April 7th and is expected to continue for approximately two weeks from the start date. In consideration of our users we have asked the contractors to contain the noise and dust as best they can. Other than the initial noise and dust, we do not anticipate any interference with scanning activities on either 3T West or 3T East. Please use caution when working near the construction area.
For those of you who had lockers in the proposed construction area please note that the lockers will be relocated to the available space nearby.
Thank you for your patience as we continue to enhance and improve the facilities and services at the Center. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.
March 22, 2010 - 3T West Training
We have been extensively testing and monitoring the performance of our new 3T West scanner in the past few weeks. The new scanner has been very stable and has consistently outperformed the old scanner in many aspects including signal to noise ratio and temporal stability. We are pleased to announce that 3T West is now open for training and for protocol testing. Please make sure to read the training information below. To allow sufficient time for training and protocol optimization, we recommend that research groups plan to start their projects in April.
Scanner time can be booked using the online scheduling system as usual.
Please note that only groups with approved projects and certified operators may book scanner time.
1. Training
All operators (current and new) are required to attend a hands-on training with CFMRI staff before scanning on 3T West.Current Operators: a two-hour training session is recommended. The first hour will be spent on familiarization with the new system and the second hour can be used for protocol building and testing.
New Operators: a minimum of four hours of hands-on training is required.
To schedule operator training, please ask the PI of the project to fill out the online Operator Training Request Form which is available on our website https://fmri.ucsd.edu/operator-training . We will only accept training requests from PIs who have approved projects on 3T West.
Thank you all for your patience during the 3T West upgrade. We look forward to seeing good results from 3T West soon
2. Protocols
Due to significant changes in the new system software, we were not able to reload the old 3T West protocols onto the new scanner. Therefore, all protocols will have to be built from scratch. While we have made our best effort to allow the same parameters from the old scanner to be used on the new system, minor changes may be required for some protocols.
Please review this documentation
http://fmri.ucsd.edu/download/updateprotocolMR750.pdf carefully for instructions on updating protocols. Assistance can be obtained during the hands-on training sessions or by contacting us directly.
February 17, 2010 - 3T West upgrade
Since the beginning of 2010 we have been making steady progress on the 3T West upgrade. The new MR750 magnet was delivered on Jan 19th during a brief respite from heavy rain and strong winds. You can check out the departure of the old magnet and delivery of the new MR750 magnet at this
link: http://picasaweb.google.com/cfmriucsd/3TWestMagnetUpgrade#The MR750 magnet was successfully ramped up to 3.0 Tesla on Feb 5th and the following week were spent shimming the magnet and calibrating the hardware. GE engineers are now completing the final tests of the system.
In the next couple of weeks the fMRI Center will conduct comprehensive performance evaluations specific for fMRI studies and will monitor the stability of the system. We expect to open 3T West for training as early as the beginning of March - details of the training will be announced in the near future. When training is complete scanning will commence shortly thereafter.Thank you all for your patience during the upgrade. We look forward to better serving the fMRI community with a brand new state of the art
MR750 system.
January 13, 2010 - 3twest MR750 upgrade: prepare for the new magnet arrival on Jan 19th.
The 3twest MR750 upgrade has begun. The old 3twest system has been stripped down to a zero Tesla magnet awaiting to be shipped away. The control room walls have been removed to allow magnet lifting through the skylight in the atrium. Currently, we are anticipating the arrival of the new 3twest magnet next Tuesday morning (January 19th 2010). A big crane will be set up outside of the east entrance of the fMRI Building in the dawn hours of Tuesday. The magnet lifts are expected to occur between 7:30am to 1:30pm on that day. The fMRI building will be evacuated briefly during the two lifts (the old magnet out and the new magnet in), each of which is expected to last no more than a few minutes. Please be advised that you may have to adjust your plans at fMRI Center accordingly for that morning as interruptions may occur. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience due to the magnet rigging.
We have also created a link "Track 3twest MR750 Upgrade Progress" on the front page of the CFMRI website to document the progress of the upgrade. Please feel free to check the link for latest pictures and updates.
January 13, 2010 - 3teast 15x software update postponed indefinitely.
We have decided to indefinitely postpone the 15x software update on the 3teast as our additional tests did not show the performance gains expected in 15x. The next major software update will therefore coincide with the 3teast MR750 upgrade which is expected to occur in the second half of 2010. We will send out more email updates and reminders by then about the upgrade.
January 13, 2010 - Response to the user comments from the suggestion box.
We are excited to find a few comments from you in the suggestion box. In case some of you did not know about the suggestion box, it is on the wall outside the exam room next to the cork board. All comments are anonymous. Below all these latest comments:
Comment 1: A "restart" guide should be posted in the control room.
Response: We will post a quick instruction on TPS/System Restart procedures for users who may need to perform them occasionally. However there are always risks when restarting a system as complicated as an MRI machine. We still recommend using the online problem report system to notify us of the problems and leave the problem solving to CFMRI staff and GE engineers.Comment 2: The temperature of most of the rooms in this building is much too cold!
Response: Most of the rooms except the magnet rooms have thermostats. You may adjust the thermostats to a desirable temperature (65-85 degrees fahrenheit in range), and it may take a short while before the adjustment takes effect. The magnet room temperature is set to a low 69 degree in order to maintain proper equipment functions and patient safety. We can not change the temperatures in the magnet rooms.Comment 3: There should be coke machine.
Response: After a thorough research, we found that the closest vending machine is only a few steps away from us outside the Medical Teaching building. We are afraid that the need for a CFMRI coke machine is not justified at this time.