Scanning facilities
The BNC provides scanning facilities, computing resources, and technical support. Investigators interested in scanning at the BNC should contact Krystle Bartley at 713-798-6552 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Scanning facilities
The BNC has five Siemens 3T MR scanners: 3 are Siemens Trio, and the other 2 are Siemens Allegra (head-only). All are equipped with the following stimulation and response interfaces:
- behavioral response: two-hand, four-button optical response pads with USB, serial, and TTL output (Current Designs, Inc.)
- video stimulation: rear-projection video display (NEC GT2150) (NEC NP2000)
- corrective lenses for use with video stimulation: MR-compatible frames with insertable polycarbonate lenses (prescriptions range from -8.00 to +8.00) (Solo Bambini)
- audio stimulation: dynamic and piezoelectric headphones (MR Confon, GmbH)
- gustatory stimulation: dual-syringe pump (Harvard Apparatus HA33)
- eye-tracking (currently only sited in one Allegra scanner): IR-illuminated CCD system, ViewPoint software (Arrington Research)
Examples of scanning parameters:
structural (default T1 MPRAGE):
- 192 transversal slices @ 0.89mm
- FoV = 245mm x 214mm
- in-plane resolution = 256 x 208
- voxel size = 0.96mm x 0.96mm x 0.89mm
- TR = 1200ms
- TE = 2.93ms
- flip angle = 12º
functional (default EPI):
- 26 transversal slices @ 4mm, 0% overlap
- FoV = 220mm
- in-plane resolution = 64 x 64
- voxel size = 3.44mm x 3.44mm x 4.00mm
- TR = 2000ms
- TE = 40ms
- flip angle = 90º
Physical space of scanner/room (Allegra scanners):
- scanner room measurements: 19 ft x 16 ft
- head coil diameter: 11 in
- outer bore diameter: 22 in
- table length: 6 ft
- back of bore diameter (max stimulus diam): 15 in
- projector waveguide diameter: 8 in
- outer waveguide diameter: 2 in
- head coil mirror to projection screen: 29 in
- head coil mirror to back wall: 6.5 ft
- top of bore to center bars on coil (clearance): 1.5 in
- center of bore to waveguide: 20 ft
- back of bore to projector (stimulus throw dist.): 10 ft
- shielded window height: 24 in
- width of doorway: 39.5 in
Computing resources
- 50 workstations (each investigator has access to Linux, Windows XP and Mac workstations)
- Western Scientific Linux Cluster (50 node, 400 core, 800GB RAM, GigE Interconnect)
- IBM Linux Cluster (32 node, 64 core, 128GB, GigE Interconnect)
- 10 Linux servers (Dual CPU Xeon, 8-way Opteron) are available for image and data analysis
- 4 Gbit/s Fibre Channel Storage Area Network
- 90 terabyte fast disk storage
- 60 terabyte digital tape backup
- Daily backups with weekly off-site data storage at secure facility
- 54 Mbit/s secure wireless network
- 1 Gbit/s Ethernet network
- MR stimulation software: NEMO: synchronized, multi-subject, multi-institution generalized stimulation presentation and data management framework
- MR image retrieval software: Experiment Browser: secure web-based image retrieval using NEMO client with proper authorization
- MR Analysis Tools: MATLAB with statistics and signal processing toolboxes, SPM2, AFNI,FSL, MRIcro, xjView, R, SAS
Physical space
- 9500 square feet
- 14 staff offices
- 12 open-area graduate student and postdoc workstations
- 16 behavioral testing rooms
- 2 observation room with video/audio recording
- 2 conference rooms with 20+ person capacity
- 1 data center with 12 rack capacity
- 5 scanning suites