Physiology and Neurobiology

Animal fMRI and PET imaging

Biomedical Research Imaging Center Small Animal Imaging Facility (SAIF) and Center for Animal MRI (CAMRI)

Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC) Small Animal Imaging Facility (SAIF) and the Center for Animal MRI (CAMRI) provides various animal imaging services to facilitate biomedical research at UNC and beyond. Non-invasive in-vivo animal imaging provided by the core has been critical in many research fields including neurological study, cancer research, pharmaceutical development, etc. The goal of SAIF is to develop and offer advanced imaging technologies with state-of-the-art instrumentation and experienced staff to assist investigators in a wide range of applications in biomedical research. To date, the SAIF core houses twelve major pieces of equipment for animal imaging, including two MRI, one MR/PET, one PET/CT, one SPECT/CT, two microCT, three optical imaging, and two ultrasound imaging systems. We have 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), 7T MRI, PETMR (Positron Emission Tomography) and PETCT (Computed Tomography); all equipment is dedicated to research with exception of PETMR, which is also available clinically. The facility has become the most complete animal imaging facility regional-wise. We have expertise on imaging small animals such as rats and mice, as well as bigger animals like cat and dogs. The facility is open to all users and accepts work from external entities.

Human fMRI and PET imaging

Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC): Human Imaging Facility

Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC): Human Imaging Facility provides research imaging services utilizing 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), 7T MRI, PETMR (Positron Emission Tomography) and PETCT (Computed Tomography); all equipment is dedicated to research with exception of PETMR, which is also available clinically. The facility is located one block south of UNC Hospitals and is 100% dedicated to research with a staff experienced in research imaging studies including fMRI and infant sleep studies. The facility offers researchers convenient daytime, evening, and weekend hours for scheduling, easy and free parking for subjects and assistance setting up imaging protocols. Both scanner rooms contain ancillary equipment for patient studies including: MR compatible monitoring system for BP and pulse oximetry, and visual presentation/responding systems for functional MR studies and for subject entertainment. The facility also has a mock scanner available for training subjects undergoing MR studies. The mock scanner has a visual presentation and computer setup to simulate the scanner room experience for research subjects. Services include some large animal imaging. The facility is open to all users and does accept work from external entities.

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Center Clinical Translational Core 

The Clinical Translational Core Brain-Behavior Lab within the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Center provides consultation and support for all stages of design and implementation of neuroimaging studies, and provides access to well-established methods for the acquisition and analysis of MR data. The CTC is also responsible for the development of novel neuroimaging methods to insure the most technologically advanced and efficient data acquisition parameters that would also address particular challenges posed by studying immature of developing neural systems.
Brain imaging has become an important and indispensable tool for the non-invasive analysis of human brain function and structure. In particular, MRI is especially well suited for the study of children because it is non-invasive, does not involve radiation and therefore can be repeated within short periods of time, thus enabling longitudinal investigations.

Human Electrophysiology and Physiology

The Biobehavioral Laboratory (BBL)

The Biobehavioral Laboratory (BBL) focuses on supporting research that addresses the interface of biological and psychosocial factors that underlie individual responses to acute and chronic illness. The BBL specializes in non-invasive physiological measurement and instrumentation.
The lab comprises a behavioral observation research suite with six in-wall cameras and a monitoring room with video recording and editing software. The state-of-the-art sleep laboratory includes two fully equipped sleep rooms and with subject monitoring systems.

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Center Developmental Electrophysiology Lab

The IDDRC Brain-Behavior Lab also includes the Electrophysiology Lab which provides assistance with study design, access to state-of-the-art EEG and fNIRS equipment, implementation of experimental protocols and support during EEG or fNIRS acquisition, design and programming of analysis pipelines for event-related potential spectral and time-frequency domain analysis, and assistance with handling, desensitizing, and managing infants and young children during data acquisition. The Core supports two EEG facilities, one on UNC campus, next to the Core imaging facilities and trainee offices, and a second system at an off-campus site, contiguous with the CIDD observation/clinical research rooms, with easy subject access and parking availability. These EEG facilities offer (1) two Electrical Geodesic Dense Array EEG Net Amplifier 300, for high-density EEG measurement, suitable for the infant/pediatric population; (2) a 64- channel NeuroScan SynAmps RT Amplifier with an active license for SCAN 4 Software for Neuroscan, (3) a 32-channel Synamps II Neuroscan system, and (4) a 64- channel Biosemi system, (5) a mobile 32-channel gTec Nautilus system, and (6) a mobile fNIRS devices model100. The Brain-Behavior Measurement Laboratories also provides assistant with Eye-tracking Studies: The Core offers IDDRC investigators access to sophisticated eye-tracking equipment, which provides a non-invasive method for exploring the behavioral correlates of brain function and maturation. An increasing number of ongoing studies are also integrating eye-tracking with functional imaging at the MRI scanners, both to control for eye-movement and fixation, as well as to explore the behavioral correlates of neural impairments in attention deployment in autism and schizophrenia. The Core includes two TOBII eye tracker systems (120Hz and a 60Hz) that can be used in studies with subjects across the age span, from infancy to adulthood.

The Applied Physiology Laboratory

The Applied Physiology Laboratory is an innovative facility that is dedicated to exploring the interaction of exercise and nutrition for improving health, chronic disease, and human performance. The APL specializes in body composition measurement and validation. It is one of few laboratories in the country that implements a multi-compartment gold-standard method for measurement.  Available technology includes dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), air displacement plethysmography (BodPod), bioelectrical impedance analysis (Impedimed SFB7; InBody 720), ultrasound (B-Mode, GE logiq-e; A-Mode, Intelametrix Bodymetrix).  The APL houses three metabolic units (Parvomedics TrueOne 2400) that are used for cardiorespiratory fitness measurements, resting metabolic rate, and fuel utilization.  There are multiple treadmills and cycle ergometers, including wingate technology. The lab has a dedicated space for evaluating the biochemical, endocrine, and immune response to exercise as well as space for strength and aerobic training studies for all type of athletes including novice, highly trained, cancer, tactical, older adults, and women.

DXA Body Composition Lab

DXA is a unique imaging procedure that allows for the calculation and analysis of differential body tissues within a subject and allows for the collection of bone mineral density data. DXA imaging is performed by ARRT registered technologists trained in the rigors of clinical trial imaging and data collection.