Yale Developmental Neuroimaging Program
Yale DNP Home Page
Introduction
- The Developmental Neuroimaging Program (DNP) is an
initiative designed to foster collaborative science on the development of
the brain, and brain-based neuropsychiatric disorders. The program is
co-directed by Robert
T. Schultz, PhD, of the Child Study Center and Lawrence Staib, PhD, of
Diagnostic Radiology, and it includes multiple adjunct faculty throughout
the University. The Program cuts across existing laboratories within
the University and brings together faculty with complementary areas of
expertise in order to provide an arena for collaborative research and
training in neuroscience.
- A primary goal of the DNP is to initiate and support research on normal
and abnormal brain development, using both humans and animals. This
is accomplished through consultative services on technical aspects of study
design, and by providing core laboratory support for data analyses.
We have established the Developmental Neuroimaging Laboratory (the
DNP Lab) in space at the Child Study Center (IE 73). This lab serves
as a staging ground for translating methodological developments in
neuroimaging analyses by basic scientists to the neuroscience community.
- The Developmental Neuroimaging Laboratory is equipped with
seven high powered workstations and numerous specialized software packages
for analyzing MRI data, including BrainVoyager, Analyze, SPM99, AFNI, and
specialized software developed by the DNP in collaboration with the
Image Processing and Analysis Group. Several full time
personnel support the DNP Lab, including a BS level computer programmer, a
postdoctoral fellow in computer science, an associate research scientist in
medical image analyses, and a computer systems manager.
- The DNP has established successful research collaborations
with faculty within the Child Study Center, the Department of Psychiatry
and the Department of Diagnostic Radiology.
Research Collaborations
- Examples of current DNP research collaborations include:
-
Structural and functional MRI studies of the brain
bases of autism and related conditions
(R. Schultz, Child Study Center)
-
Nonlinear Estimation and Modeling of fMRI (Y.
Wang, Diagnostic Radiology)
-
Plasticity of ventral temporal cortices within
autism spectrum disorders (R. Schultz, Child Study Center)
-
Development of diffusion tensor imaging
methodologies (L. Staib, Diagnostic Radiology)
-
Studies of brain sequelae of childhood abuse and
trauma (J. Kaufman, Psychiatry)
-
Developmental signs of prodromal schizophrenia (D.
Mathalon, Psychiatry)
-
Visualization and analysis tools for structural
and functional MR imaging (X. Papademetris, Diagnostic Radiology)
-
Temporal lobe morphology in persons with
continuous hallucinations and schizophrenia (R. Hoffman, Psychiatry)
-
Another major goal of the DNP
is to facilitate the work of trainees and to interface with existing
postdoctoral training programs within the University.
Previous projects supported by the DNP conducted by
students, trainees and visiting scholars:
-
The
role of the caudate nucleus in repetitive and stereotyped behaviors (L.
Propper, Visiting Fulbright Scholar)
-
fMRI
studies of savant calendar calculation skills (M. Thioux, Postdoctoral
Fellow, Yale Child Study Center)
-
Feature
level and holistic processing in the ventral temporal pathway
(R. Vegafi,
Yale Medical Thesis project)
-
Subcortical pathways of fear perception
(B. Pasley, Child Study Center and
NYU graduate student)
-
Implicit perception of face familiarity
(J. Horowitz, Yale Undergraduate,
Department of Psychology)
-
Diffusion Tensor Imaging of brain fiber pathways (M. Jackowski,
Postdoctoral Fellow, Diagnostic Radiology and Child Study Center)
-
fMRI
studies of maternal perception of cries and the face of their own infant
(J. Swain, Postdoctoral Fellow, Child Study Center)
-
fMRI
studies of cross modal perception in autism (D. Robins, Postdoctoral
Fellow, Child Study Center)
-
Brain morphology in Williams syndrome
(A. Jackowski, Postdoctoral Fellow, Child
Study Center and Diagnostic Radiology)
-
MRI
studies of Prader Willi syndrome (A. Dimotropoulos, Postdoctoral Fellow,
Child Study Center)
Codirectors
Links
Contact
- robert.schultz at yale.edu
- lawrence.staib at yale.edu
Rev. 3/05