Neuroimaging for Clinical Research (12.5 pts)
Course Overview
Offered in partnership with the NHMRC Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Neurosciences.
Students who successfully complete this subject will:
- Demonstrate a high level of understanding of various advanced clinical research techniques that have broad application to many areas of neuroscience
- Understand clinical research applications of brain imaging techniques
- Have gained insights into current research applications of these techniques across the various neuroscience disciplines
- Be able to develop innovative strategies to investigate Clinical Research questions and prepare a research proposal
Subject Code
CLRS90017
Credit Points
12.5 points
Objectives
Students who successfully complete this subject will:
- Demonstrate a high level of understanding of various advanced clinical research techniques that have broad application to many areas of neuroscience
- Understand clinical research applications of brain imaging techniques
- Understand the need for multi-disciplinary integration in clinical research and be able to establish appropriate collaborations across disciplines
- Have gained insights into current research applications of these techniques across the various neuroscience disciplines
- Be able to develop innovative strategies to investigate clinical neuroscience research questions to pursue in response to particular neurological problems
- Have achieved a level of competency enabling them to create and conduct high quality clinical neuroscience research projects from the original concept through to submission of competitive research proposals
Description:
Topics covered include:
- Expert briefings on the current research questions in dementias, movement disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.
- Major emphasis on cutting-edge human imaging techniques
- Cognitive functioning
- Research techniques in clinical neurophysiology
- Introduction to neuroimaging techniques
- Principles of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Practical demonstration of language functional MRI
- Structural MR imaging and clinical research applications
- Functional MR imaging and clinical research applications
- Analysis of MR imaging
- Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and research applications
- New frontiers in multi-disciplinary clinical neuroscience research
Pre-requisites and/or Co-requisites
An undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification in medicine, an allied health profession, nursing, science or social science which is recognised by the University as evidence of adequate preparation for the course plus documented evidence of at least the equivalent of one year's full-time relevant professional work experience in a medical, scientific or allied health environment.
All students will be required to meet the English Language requirements of the University.
Mode of Delivery
Intensive 4 day blocks
Contact Time
36 hours of lectures/seminars/workshops
Assessment
A short oral presentation of a proposed research plan (30 percent), a comprehensive clinical neuroscience project proposal formatted as a grant submission, including potential multi-disciplinary collaborations and drawing on the course contents (and previous professional experience if relevant) (3000 words) (70 percent).
Subject Coordinator
Professor Sam Berkovic
Venue
Florey Neuroscience Institutes Austin Buiding (Heidelberg)
Dates - 2012
Week 1 - June: Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13, Thursday 14 & Friday 15
Week 2 - June: Monday 18, Tuesday 19, Wednesday 20 (half day), Thursday 21 & Friday 22
Course Fee
Fees for 2012 are $2,350 per 12.5 point subject
The course fees include:
- All course materials and assessment
- Access to on-line databases required
- Morning and afternoon tea and lunch on each day of teaching
- One reference text as requested by the Subject Coordinator
Student commitment
Students should expect to undertake a minimum of 120 hours lectures, research, reading, writing etc to complete this subject successfully.
For further information contact
Mary Georges (03) 9810 3185 or m.georges@mccp.unimelb.edu.au
Application Process
Applications are managed by Student Services.