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Directed by Staci Gruber, Ph.D., the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core is dedicated to the examination of cognitive and affective correlates of neural systems, which may mediate symptoms in psychiatric disorders and behaviors related to substance abuse. Techniques used in these investigations include measures of neuropsychological performance, clinical and diagnostic rating scales and instruments and various magnetic resonance imaging methods, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). The aim of these studies has been to identify brain abnormalities, particularly disruptions of frontally and temporally mediated networks, which may represent risk factors for psychiatric illness or substance abuse, or which may be the site of pathology in these illnesses. Recent investigations have combined results from neurocognitive testing and brain imaging in healthy participants, substance users, and individuals with psychiatric disorders as a means of clarifying the possible dysfunctional neural network processes associated with these illnesses. Clinical and neurocognitive assessment as well as structural, functional and spectroscopic imaging pre and post treatment with a variety of pharmacologic agents has also provided a means for understanding the effect of specific naturopathic and more conventional pharmacological agents on brain function. Click here to learn more about the research and training opportunities at CCNC. | |
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