Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging
Encyclopedia
The Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London
(incorporating the Leopold Muller Functional Imaging Laboratory and the Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience) is an interdisciplinary centre for neuroimaging
research based in London
, United Kingdom
.
Principal investigators working at the Centre include Professors Ray Dolan
, Jon Driver
, Richard Frackowiak, Chris Frith
, Karl Friston, Eleanor Maguire, Cathy Price, and Geraint Rees
. The Centre is located in Queen Square in the Bloomsbury
area of Central London
, adjacent to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
.
. This provided for a new building, capital equipment and core staff support. The award enabled a core group of scientists, based at the Medical Research Council Cyclotron Unit, at the Hammersmith Hospital
to relocate their activity to a central London site, within UCL.
In 1994 the principal neuroimaging research tool was positron emission tomography
(PET). Over the next decade functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) became the primary investigative tool of the FIL, leading to PET decommissioning in 2004. Currently, the investigative tools of the laboratory include functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) magneto-encephalography (MEG) and electro-encephalography (EEG). The laboratory has continued to enjoy core Wellcome Trust infrastructure support through major grant awards in 1999 and 2004.
In 2006, following a successful bid for a Strategic Award the laboratory was awarded Wellcome Trust Centre status, and is now known as the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL. In January 2007 a team from the Centre published research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences which concluded that some people with amnesia may not only have difficulty recalling the past but also have difficulty imagining future experiences. In May 2007 a team led by Ben Seymour of the Centre published research in the Journal of Neuro-science which showed that that losing money, or anticipating such a loss, stimulates the striatum in the brain, a circuit involved in the processing of pain and fear. In June 2008 a team from the Centre published research in the journal Neuron showing that the ventral striatum region of the brain is more active when subjects chose unusual objects in controlled tests. In December 2010 a team from the Centre published research in the journal Nature Neuroscience which showed that humans see the world differently according to the size of the visual cortex in their brain.
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
(incorporating the Leopold Muller Functional Imaging Laboratory and the Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience) is an interdisciplinary centre for neuroimaging
Neuroimaging
Neuroimaging includes the use of various techniques to either directly or indirectly image the structure, function/pharmacology of the brain...
research based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Principal investigators working at the Centre include Professors Ray Dolan
Ray Dolan
Ray Dolan was an Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist. He began his career in the early 1970 by playing folk clubs in Dublin with James Connolly as a duo, contributing to the success of the Universal Folk Centre at Parnell Square. In 1973, they were involved in the five-member band Heir...
, Jon Driver
Jon Driver
Jon Driver was a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London and a leading psychologist and neuroscientist in the UK. From 2009 he held a Royal Society Anniversary Research Professorship, which allowed him to concentrate on research...
, Richard Frackowiak, Chris Frith
Chris Frith
Christopher Donald Frith is professor emeritus at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London and a Niels Bohr Visiting Professor at Aarhus University, Denmark...
, Karl Friston, Eleanor Maguire, Cathy Price, and Geraint Rees
Geraint Rees
Geraint Rees FMedSci is Director of the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and a Professor of Cognitive Neurology and Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Fellow at University College London.-Biography:...
. The Centre is located in Queen Square in the Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
area of Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
, adjacent to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery is a neurological hospital in London, United Kingdom and part of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust...
.
History
'The Functional Imaging Laboratory (FIL)', was founded in 1994 following a major grant award from the Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
. This provided for a new building, capital equipment and core staff support. The award enabled a core group of scientists, based at the Medical Research Council Cyclotron Unit, at the Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital
Hammersmith Hospital is a major teaching hospital in West London. It is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and is associated with the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine...
to relocate their activity to a central London site, within UCL.
In 1994 the principal neuroimaging research tool was positron emission tomography
Positron emission tomography
Positron emission tomography is nuclear medicine imaging technique that produces a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body. The system detects pairs of gamma rays emitted indirectly by a positron-emitting radionuclide , which is introduced into the body on a...
(PET). Over the next decade functional magnetic resonance imaging
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
Functional magnetic resonance imaging or functional MRI is a type of specialized MRI scan used to measure the hemodynamic response related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord of humans or other animals. It is one of the most recently developed forms of neuroimaging...
(fMRI) became the primary investigative tool of the FIL, leading to PET decommissioning in 2004. Currently, the investigative tools of the laboratory include functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) magneto-encephalography (MEG) and electro-encephalography (EEG). The laboratory has continued to enjoy core Wellcome Trust infrastructure support through major grant awards in 1999 and 2004.
In 2006, following a successful bid for a Strategic Award the laboratory was awarded Wellcome Trust Centre status, and is now known as the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at UCL. In January 2007 a team from the Centre published research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences which concluded that some people with amnesia may not only have difficulty recalling the past but also have difficulty imagining future experiences. In May 2007 a team led by Ben Seymour of the Centre published research in the Journal of Neuro-science which showed that that losing money, or anticipating such a loss, stimulates the striatum in the brain, a circuit involved in the processing of pain and fear. In June 2008 a team from the Centre published research in the journal Neuron showing that the ventral striatum region of the brain is more active when subjects chose unusual objects in controlled tests. In December 2010 a team from the Centre published research in the journal Nature Neuroscience which showed that humans see the world differently according to the size of the visual cortex in their brain.