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Current and Upcoming Events | Past Events

fMRI Image Acquisition and Analyses Course
04 August
Mind Institute on the University of New Mexicoxico
Monday, August 04, 2008, through August 6th, 2008

The course faculty include Drs. Kent Kiehl and Vince Calhoun of the Mind and UNM, and Tor Wager of Columbia University. The course will cover experimental design, image acquisition, image preprocessing, and analysis using the general linear model as well as Independent Component Analyses (ICA) of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. The course is designed for fMRI researchers who range from beginning to intermediate skill levels. Participants in the course are strongly encouraged to bring laptops with Matlab 7 (or higher) installed. SPM, custom code and toolboxes will be installed on the laptops during the beginning of the course. In addition, following the lectures, participants will be trained to analyze example fMRI data on their laptops using SPM5, the Group ICA of fMRI Toolbox (GIFT), and related SPM toolboxes, such as statistical nonparametric mapping (SnPM). The course will be small, having only 30-40 students with many opportunities to work closely with the faculty. CME credits will be provided.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Website
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging - An Introductory Course
05 June
Health Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI)
Thursday, June 05, 2008, through June 7, 2008

This three-day workshop, sponsored by the MCW General Clinical Research Center, is designed to introduce the basic and clinical researcher to the theoretical and practical issues involved in conducting Functional MRI experiments. Participants will gain an understanding of the physiological principles underlying the fMRI signal change, as well as the theoretical and practical considerations in research design. The course will include firsthand exposure to the scanning environment and data collection procedures. Participants will be provided conceptual and hands-on experience with data treatment and statistical analysis.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Website
Pharmacology, Physiology and Behavioral Testing of Drugs Used to Treat Cognitive and Attentional Disorders Symposium
31 May
New College Building, Geary Auditorium B on the center City Campus
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 8:30am - 4pm

The goal of this workshop is to encourage an exchange of ideas focusing on attentional and cognitive disorders among varied disciplines in the basic science, biotechnology and clinical specialties. A cross section of professionals from the basic sciences, biomedical engineering, and clinical departments, exchanging research goals and project ideas should provide opportunities for interdisciplinary and translational research in this important topic.

Please contact Dr. Noreen Robertson @215.762.4889 for additional information.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Flyer (PDF)
A New Rule for Motor Recovery after Stroke?
06 March
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Hirst Auditorium, Dulles Bldg. 1st Floor 3400 Spruce St. Philadelphia, PA 19104
Thursday, March 06, 2008, 4:30 - 5:30 pm

John W. Krakauer, MD
Associate Professor of Neurology
Co-Director, Motor Performance Laboratory
The Neurological InstituteColumbia University

Will be presenting.

A New Rule for Motor Recovery after Stroke?

Why do some patients recover from hemiparesis when others do not? Is recovery from impairment different from recovery of function? Here we will discuss inter-individual variability in recovery from stroke, and whether we can predict recovery using clinical variables.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
ACRM-ASNR Joint Educational Conference
05 October
Renaissance Hotel - Washington, DC
Friday, October 05, 2007, 8:30am - 10:00 AM EST

Rehabilitation of Neglect
Course Directors: Krish
Sathian, MD, PhD, Maurizio Corbetta, MD
Moderator: Anna Mariya Barrett, MD
Faculty: Maurizio Corbetta, MD, Yves Rossetti, MD, PhD, Ian Robertson, PhD

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Website
ACRM-ASNR Joint Educational Conference
04 October
Renaissance Hotel - Washington, DC
Thursday, October 04, 2007, 8:15 am - 9:30 am EST

Brain-computer Interfaces (BCI) in Neurorehabilitation Course
Director: Leonardo Cohen, MD
Faculty: Leonardo Cohen, MD, Mark Hallett,
MD, Jonathan Wolpaw, MD, Niels Birbaumer, PhD, Leigh Hochberg, MD, PhD

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Website
CLINICAL TRIALS IN REHABILITATION RESEARCH: Learning from Experience
02 October
Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007, October 3, 2007

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on TBI Interventions at Mount Sinai School of Medicine has scheduled a State of the Science Conference: CLINICAL TRIALS IN REHABILITATION RESEARCH: Learning from Experience. The focus of the conference will be on clinical trial methods in rehabilitation research; it will be relevant to clinical researchers in rehabilitation involved in studying interventions with any disability group in any setting. The goal is to provide researchers an understanding of methodological challenges in designing and implementing clinical trials, as well as approaches to address these challenges, with a focus on learning from the experiences of researchers from around the world who have taken a variety of paths in testing rehabilitation interventions. The Conference is scheduled for October 2-3, 2007 (just prior to the ACRM annual meeting), at the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. More information and registration materials can be found at the ACRM website (www.acrm.org).

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Website
2nd Annual Eleanor M. Saffran Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, "Dynamic Interaction of Language With Other Cognitive Processes: Implication for Treatment of Language Disorders"
24 September
Kiva Auditorium, Ritter Annex, Cecil B. Moore & 13th Street
Monday, September 24, 2007, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

Sponsored by the Eleanor M. Saffran Center for Cognitive Neuroscience

Department of Communication Sciences
College of Health Professions
Temple University and Philadelphia Neuropsychology Society

Time: Registration begins at 8:15 am
Conference from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Reception from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Flyer (PDF)
Workshop on Mechanisms of Alertness, Arousal & Attention (7 Day Event)
23 June
Banbury Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York
Saturday, June 23, 2007, through June 29, 2007

Course Instructors: Brigitte Kieffer, Donald Pfaff
Applications due by: March 15, 2007
More Information

Please pass this along to colleagues or members of your laboratory or
group who may benefit from this training. This intense course represents a cost-effective and rapid way for grad students and postdocs to come up to speed in the neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and functional genomics of arousal and attention mechanisms, or for people entering the field at any level of their career. The course includes an excellent visiting faculty in addition to the instructors. The course will be held at the Laboratory's Banbury Conference Center located on the north shore of Long Island.
All participants stay within walking distance of the Center, close to tennis court, pool and private beach.

***************************************
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Meetings & Courses Programs
http://meetings.cshl.edu

Check out our entire course program for an up-to-the-minute and in-depth grasp of the latest techniques and concepts across a wide range of biological disciplines.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Website
Neuroplasticity in Stroke: Changing Minds and Changing Function A Translational Conference
22 June
Draker Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Friday, June 22, 2007, and Saturday, June 23rd

American Society of Neurorehabilitation Annual 2007 regional workshop, which will focus on the clinical application of neuroplasticity concepts to stroke rehabilitation.

The conference reflects our team's ongoing research agenda on stroke recovery, and features three, internationally recognized stroke researchers who will be delivering keynote lectures. Topics include:

  • Clinical Application of Neuroplasticity Concepts to Lower Extremity Training
  • Innovations and New Applications of Electrical Stimulation
  • Neuroplasticity Applications to Clinical Management of Aphasia and Apraxia
  • Motor Control and Splinting
  • Spasticity Management: Harnessing the Potential of Neuroplasticity

12.5 CMEs will be available for PT's, OT's, speech therapists, and
physicians. Residents, post doctoral fellows, and graduate students will be able to register at a reduced rate and are also invited to attend. The proceedings will also be published in a major, Medline journal.

For information that further describes the conference, including registration and lodging arrangements, you can visit www.asnr.com.
This is a wonderful opportunity to interact with leaders in the field, and for faculty and/or students to learn the state of the art in stroke rehabilitation.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Website
Neuroimaging in the Study of Neural Recovery and Rehabilitation - 2 Day Event
01 June
The Inn at Penn - Philadelphia, PA
Friday, June 01, 2007, and Saturday, June 2nd, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

An Invitation to Postdoctoral Fellows and Junior Faculty

Two of the NCMRR(NIH)-sponsored Rehabilitation Research Infrastructure grants are collaborating to sponsor a symposium exploring the use of various neuroimaging modalities in advancing research on neurologic impairment, recovery, and rehabilitation. Attendance at this small discussion-oriented symposium is by invitation only, but 8 slots have been reserved for postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty at the assistant professor level, who may benefit from participating in these interactive discussions. Other symposium attendees are senior experts in various aspects of this topic area. The meeting format will consist of several thematic discussions particularly relevant to research on recovery from stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI), including:

  • Assessing structural and functional connectivity
  • Imaging pharmacologic effects
  • Studying distributed cognitive networks related to attention
  • Imaging in the first hours and days after injury
  • Serial imaging over time
  • Imaging markers of appropriateness for specific rehabilitation treatments

Participation in this symposium is intended to assist individuals who are planning to conduct research using imaging or related methods (including structural brain imaging methods, fMRI, ERP, MEG, TMS) as applied to research in neurorehabilitation, particularly regarding recovery from stroke and traumatic brain injury. The appropriate candidate is someone who is currently planning a research program utilizing one or more of these methods in neurorehabilitation research and would like both to sharpen their own research designs and to gain exposure to a broad range of challenges and potential approaches in this emerging field. The candidate must have access to the relevant technology to pursue the research plans that are developed. The workshop organizers will prioritize invitations to individuals who appear most likely to benefit from this opportunity in terms of advancing their own research and competing for extramural funding. Travel expenses will be covered for those who are selected to attend.

Information needed from applicants:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Bio sketch or CV
  • Previous research related to neurorehabilitation?
  • Previous research using one of the above methods?
  • Previous extramural funding for your research?
  • Do you have current access to functional imaging? If so through what institution?
  • Please provide a paragraph describing your research interests related to imaging in neurorehabilitation, that you are currently interested in pursuing.
  • Please provide 2 letters of reference that address your potential to engage in independent research in this area. One of these letters should come from an individual who can provide access to the technical facilities (unless your own lab has them), and that letter should describe the nature of the commitment to such access.

Please email application materials to ncrrn@einstein.edu or fax to 215-456-5926 by April 1, 2007.

For more information about the 2 sponsoring infrastructure projects, visit: www.ncrrn.org (Neuro-Cognitive Rehabilitation Research Network), and www.med.upenn.edu/cent/ (Center for Experimental Neurorehabilitation Training).

Event Schedule (PDF 29kb / 2 pages)

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging - An Introductory Course (3 Day Event)
31 May
Health Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee, WI).
Thursday, May 31, 2007, through Saturday, June 2, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This three-day workshop, sponsored by the MCW General Clinical Research Center, is designed tointroduce the basic and clinical researcher to the theoretical and practical issues involved in conducting Functional MRI experiments. Participants will gain an understanding of thephysiological principles underlying the fMRI signal change, as well as the theoretical and practicalconsiderations in research design. The course will include firsthand exposure to the scanningenvironment and data collection procedures. Participants will be provided conceptual and hands-on experience with data treatment and statistical analysis. At the completion of this course, it is expected that participants will be better prepared to critique, design, and conduct fMRI studies;appreciate limitations and potentials of current fMRI technology and techniques; and betterunderstand the expertise required to establish an fMRI research program.
Course material will be presented in the form of lectures, problem-based learning activities,involvement in an actual fMRI scanning session, and instruction in the use of fMRI analysissoftware. Extensive handouts will be provided. Specific topics to be covered by this course include:

  • An introduction to MR physics for the non-physicist
  • Physiological principles underlying the fMRI signal change
  • Various MR pulse sequences used in fMRI experiments
  • Influence of magnet strength and gradient/rf coils in
    detecting fMRI signals
  • Limits and trade-offs associated with spatial and temporal
    resolution
  • Detection of potential artifacts in the fMRI signal
  • Issues related to safety and to studying various subject
    populations
  • Delivering stimuli in the MR scanner environment
  • Recording behavioral and physiological responses in the
    scanner
  • Preventing and/or correcting head motion
  • Design of task-and drug-activated fMRI experiments
  • Extraction of functional images from fMRI time series data
  • Defining statistical significance in functional images
  • Displaying results in three dimensional space
  • Techniques for comparing results across individuals

The course is designed to provide the participant with intensive, hands-on instruction. As a result, enrollment in the course will be limited to 45 people.

FMRI AT THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN
In 1992, the Medical College of Wisconsin was one of the first medical centers (along with Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Minnesota) to demonstrate the BOLD(blood oxygen level dependent) contrast mechanism, which forms the basis for most of the fMRIresearch conducted today. Since this initial discovery, MCW has been a leader in fMRI research.The multi-disciplinary research effort has been supported by NIMH program fMRI data. This software (Analysis of Functional NeuroImages; AFNI ) is currently being used by over 300 registered users at research centers throughout the world. AFNI will be described in detail as part ofthis course and is available at no cost to research institutions.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This course is designed for basic and clinical researchers interested in applying fMRI technology.Knowledge of MR physics, signal processing, or the UNIX operating system is not a prerequisite.

COURSE LOCATION
The course will be held at a nearby hotel and the Health Research Center at the Medical College ofWisconsin (Milwaukee, WI).

COURSE ACCREDITATION
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is approved by the American PsychologicalAssociation to offer continuing education for psychologists. MCW maintains responsibility for theprogram and its content. Partial credit will not be awarded. Participants may claim a maximum of 21CE credits. Physicians are eligible for category 2 CME credit for their participation in this activity by applying for the PRA certificate directly from the AMA.

REGISTRATION
The registration fee for the three-day workshop ($1,050.00) includes dinner (Thursday evening),lunch, coffee and soft drinks, transportation between the hotel and course site, a textbook, and handouts. Access to the AFNI software package is available without charge.
A reduced enrollment fee ($800) will be provided to a limited number of students (graduate/medical students, postdoctoral fellows). A letter from the student's mentor is required to verify student statusas well as a completed registration form below.

The participant will assume cost of lodging and additional meals. A block of hotel rooms will bereserved. Additional lodging information will be provided upon registration.

Interested individuals should complete the online registration form http://www.firc.mcw.edu/course/ or contact Karen Outzen at
koutzen@mcw.edu or 414-456-4664 (fax: 414-456-6562). Please note that enrollment will be limited to the first 45 registrants.Registration fee is refundable minus a $50 processing charge two weeks prior to course date; after this date, the fee is non-refundable.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Website
Satellite Symposia for the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society
05 May
Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, New York
Saturday, May 05, 2007, 1:00 pm -4:30 pm EST

An Introduction to ERP Source Localization and its Application to Research on Neural Recovery and Rehabilitation

Event-related potentials (ERPs) constitute a millisecond-by-millisecond record of neural information processing that can be linked to underlying cortical sources in the human brain. In this workshop, we provide first an overview of methods used to locate these sources and to specify their functional connectivity. We then consider how these methods can help elucidate cognitive sequelae of brain damage and review special issues arising in connection with neurologically compromised individuals. Recent studies will be presented that utilize ERPs to explore changes in neural network function that may reflect functional recovery induced by neuro-cognitive rehabilitation.

Presenters:
Richard E. Greenblatt, Ph.D.,
Source Signal Imaging, San Diego, California.

Gerry A. Stefanatos, D.Phil.,
Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute,
Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Allen Osman, Ph.D.,
Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Friedemann Pulvermuller, Dr. phil., Dr. rer. Soz.,
Medical Research Council (MRC), Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK.
Yury Shtyrov, Ph.D.,
MRC, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, UK.

Support:
This work is supported by NICHD grant 5R24HD050836-02, "Research
Methods for Cognitive Rehabilitation" to Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network

For registration information, please contact:
Mary Czerniak meczerni@einstein.edu.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Medical College of Wisconsin Workshop: Presurgical Mapping Using fMRI and DTI
06 November
Sheraton Gateway Suites O'Hare, Chicago, IL
Monday, November 06, 2006, 8:30 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

This clinically-oriented workshop is designed to provide participants with an understanding of the role of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) in the surgical management of patients with brain neoplasms, epilepsy, and arterovenous malformations. These noninvasive MRI procedures have been shown to reduce surgical morbidity by pinpointing areas of eloquent cortex and underlying white matter connections. Effective 2007, three new codes have been established by the CPT editorial panel to report procedures associated with fMRI. This practical course will discuss both the advantages and limitations of fMRI/DTI, as well as provide practical information needed for the development of a clinical fMRI/DTI service.

Objectives

  • Gain an overview of MR physics and hemodynamic factors underlying fMRI.
  • Understand methods to map motor, sensory, language, and memory functions.
  • Learn how DTI fiber tracking can be integrated with fMRI activation patterns.
  • Describe the value and limitations of fMRI and DTI in presurgical decision making.
  • Acquire practical software/hardware solutions for conducting fMRI/DTI studies.
  • Understand business issues (e.g., CPT codes) associated with an fMRI/DTI practice.

Target Audience

This workshop is designed for neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, neurologists, and neuropsychologists involved in the surgical management of brain neoplasms, epilepsy, and AVMs.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Meeting on Functional Connectivity in the Resting Human Brain
02 November
3 West Gates Conference Room at the Univ. of Pennsylvania Hospital
Thursday, November 02, 2006, 3:30p.m.

The meeting will focus on recent developments in the field of mapping of
functional connectivity, particularly with reference to its application to
studies of subjects with focal brain lesions. Readings available from Dr. H. Branch Coslett (hbc@mail.med.upenn.edu).

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Ethical Issues in Rehabilitation Research: Applying Principles of Research Integrity
27 September
2006 ACRM-ASNR Joint Educational Conference in Boston, Massachusetts
Wednesday, September 27, 2006,

This pre-course is scheduled during the 2006 ACRM-ASNR Joint Educational Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. The purpose of the course is to promote the education of rehabilitation professionals and trainees on the responsible conduct of rehabilitation research and to promote concepts of research integrity. The course will cover the main topics required of all federally-supported research trainees. Feedback from attendees will also be used to shape enduring curriculum materials on this topic.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Flyer (PDF)
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and its application to the Cognitive Neuroscientific study of Language
13 September
Korman Building — Ground Floor Conference room
Wednesday, September 13, 2006, 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Patricia Mary Gough, MSc, Department of Exp. Psychology, University of Oxford

TMS is a relatively recent technique and was first used with human subjects by Barker and colleagues (Barker et al, 1985). Unlike many other methods used in human cognitive neuroscience, it allows the experimenter to interfere with processing in the brain at sites and at times of their choosing. This stands in contrast to other approaches such as studies of patients, where lesions are rarely confined to particular anatomical regions, or the use of imaging techniques such as PET or fMRI, where measures that suggest involvement of particular brain regions in behaviours are purely correlative. TMS allows us to test whether an area of cortex is necessary for a particular function. The talk will examine the use of the TMS technique in questions about the neural underpinnings of language processing. The focus will be on work examining the contribution of the frontal lobe to these processes.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Flyer (PDF)
Representing objects and actions: What is special about tools?
17 July
Korman Research Pavilion, Ground Floor Conference room.
Monday, July 17, 2006, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

- Visiting Scholar - Sarah Creem-Regehr, PhD, Assistant Professor, Psychology Department, University of Utah

"Research involving hand-tools provides an important contribution to the study of perception-action interactions, as tools can be characterized by their functional identity (“what� they are) as well as by their graspability (“how� to grasp). Although tools likely have numerous affordances, they typically have one appropriate way to be grasped for use. I will present several studies which have aimed to investigate the contribution of knowledge about an object’s function to representations for actions. This work uses both
behavioral measures of grasping and functional MRI and examines real and imagined movements. Results will be discussed with respect to cognitive and neural representations for goal-directed actions and implications for individuals with motor planning deficits."

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Flyer (PDF)
A Role for Executive Functions in Errorful and Errorless Learning: Evidence from Aphasia
10 July
Korman Research Pavilion, Ground Floor Conference room.
Monday, July 10, 2006, 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Visiting Scholar - Professor Matthew A. Lambon Ralph, Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit (NARU), School of Psychological Sciences (Zochonis Building), University of Manchester.


"Errorless learning is best known as a retraining technique for patients with memory impairment, but it has proven useful in other populations, as well. New studies comparing errorless and errorful forms of therapy for naming in aphasia failed to demonstrate an advantage for errorless over errorful techniques. Whether feedback was given or withheld in the errorful condition did not affect the results. Moreover, neither language skill nor language profile predicted therapy outcome. Instead, the participants who responded better overall had better recognition memory, executive/problem solving skills, and monitoring ability. These factors may be essential cognitive components for providing effective monitoring and feedback to a more general learning mechanism."

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Flyer (PDF)
Technology for Improving Cognitive Function - 2 Day Event
29 June
Thursday, June 29, 2006, and 30th,

The federal Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR) and its Subcommittee on Technology (IST) is sponsoring a state of the art workshop on: “Technology for Improving Cognitive Function,� scheduled to take place Thursday and Friday, June 29-30, 2006 at the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C Street, SW, Washington, D.C.

Please note: Past event links may no longer be available.
Event Website