Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory

The Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory (FNL) is based at the Callaghan campus, and is a multi-user lab that houses diverse research groups that investigate the neural basis of human perceptual, cognitive, memory and affective processes, as well as links between psychological and physiological mechanisms associated with healthy life across the lifespan and in clinical conditions.

We conduct:

  • Basic research that focuses on understanding the neural mechanisms of sensory, cognitive and affective processes in healthy and clinical cohorts.
  • Applied research that examines how environmental, social and lifestyle factors (e.g., nutrition, exercise, social networks) influence developmental and ageing trajectories as well as manifestation of clinical conditions
  • Translational research that aims to develop early biomarkers of clinical risk and evidence-based lifestyle approaches and interventions to promote adaptive functioning and positive outcomes in normative cohorts (e.g. childhood, adolescence, aging), and clinical conditions (e.g. schizophrenia, stroke, dementia).

Capabilities

The FNL is a self-contained research facility with six labs that are equipped to measure a range of brain and behavioural signals, including:

  • Multiple electroencephalography (EEG) systems (64-channel BioSemi, ActiGraph, Neuroscan and 20 channel portable) which measure the frequency and amplitude of the electrical activity of the brain. EEG is analysed to provide  
    • Event-related potentials – averaged EEG signal over short intervals time-locked to specific target events during tasks that assess sensory, cognitive, memory and other processes
    • Time-frequency analyses – EEG signal transformed into its frequency components and averaged to characterise temporal dynamics associated with sensory, cognitive, memory and other processes
  • Imagent - the only frequency domain diffuse optical tomography (DOT) system in Australia which allows high density, multichannel measurement from the brain of the  
    • Arterial pulse wave – optical signal used to estimate vascular health. The Pulse Relaxation Function (PReFx) was developed and patented by our USA collaborators, Profs Monica Fabiani and Gabriele Gratton, as a measure of cerebral arterial stiffness.
    • Near infrared spectroscopy signal –  measure of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations, reflecting blood flow and metabolic changes
    • Fast optical signal – measure of rapid, millisecond-level scattering changes in neural tissues, often used for direct mapping of neuronal activity
  • Parvo Medix VO2 Max Analyser that measures of maximal oxygen consumption during a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX)
  • SphygmoCor system to measure carotid-femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) – a "gold standard" non-invasive index of aortic arterial stiffness.
  • Computerised neuropsychological assessment batteries (e.g., NIH Cognition Toolkit, CANTAB).

We are affiliated with the Imaging Centre at the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) which gives us access to the latest Prisma Siemens 3T scanner with functional (fMRI, ASL, MRS) and structural (e.g., sMRI, dMRI) imaging capabilities, transcranial current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) equipment.

We are supported by a number of technical staff with software and hardware expertise.

Collaborations

FNL researchers are affiliated with the HMRI Brain Health Research Program.

We collaborate widely with clinical and basic researchers staff across all three Colleges at the University of Newcastle, as well as the Calvary Mater Hospital and the John Hunter Hospital. We also collaborate nationally with other research institutions in Australia, including the University of New South Wales, University of South Australia, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), University of Wollongong, University of Adelaide, University of Queensland, Griffith University, University of Melbourne, Florey Institute, Queensland University of Technology and Macquarie University.

Internationally, we have close research collaborations with numerous research institutions, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA; University of Amsterdam, Netherlands; National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan; Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; University of Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary; Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK; University of Toronto, Canada; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Israel; Duke University, USA; Philadelphia Children's Hospital, USA.

Funding

Our work is funded by national competitive grants from both the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), as well as smaller grant schemes, including the College of Engineering, Science and Environment, HMRI, Dementia Australia, Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) scholarships, and strong RIBG/CAPEX support.

Research students

FNL has supervised and continues to supervise over 140 research students at Honours, Masters of Clinical Psychology, PhD and Clinical PhD levels. Our students achieve high acclaim and are competitive for post-doctoral positions as well as national and international awards. Many hold fellowships and/or academic positions at national and international institutions, including Vanderbilt University, Monash University and University of Leicester.

PhD candidates receive funding support to attend national conferences and at least one international conference during their candidature. Many PhD students are co-supervised by our international collaborators, helping develop strong connections early in their career.

Publications and conferences

Our work is disseminated in international research journals, including the Journal of Neuroscience, Human Brain Mapping, Neuroimage, Schizophrenia Research, Cortex, Biological Psychiatry, PLoS ONE, Psychophysiology, International Journal of Psychophysiology, Scientific Reports and Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Psychiatry Research, American Journal of Psychiatry, and Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

We disseminate our work at multiple international conferences, including the International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON), Human Brain Mapping (OHBM), Society for Psychophysiological Research (SPR), World Congress of Psychophysiology (IOP), Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS), and International Neuropsychological Society (INS).

Research programs

We conduct research in a range of areas related to sensory, cognitive and affective neuroscience, including:

For more information, please contact frini.karayanidis@newcastle.edu.au