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Bioimaging and Brain Research
Camillo Porcaro

Seat Ingegneria
A.A. 2015/2016
Credits 9
Hours 72
Period I
Language ENG

Prerequisites
NONE

Learning outcomes
This course will provide an overview of the various existing methods for detecting and mapping human brain function. A brief introduction will provide the necessary background to brain research: magnetic/electrical (EEG/MEG) brain activity and haemodynamic (fMRI) response associated with neuronal activity (EEG-fMRI).

Program
Principles of Human Nervous Systems: Neurons, Neural Circuits, Organization of the Human Central Nervous System and Functional Analysis of Neuronal System. Overview of Complex Brain Functions: The Association Cortices, Memory, Language and Speech. How to detect direct and indirect signals from the brain in a non-invasively way: Electroencephalography (EEG); Magnetoencephalography (MEG); Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Multimodal imaging approach: Simultaneous EEG–fMRI. Biological and non-biological signal detected by neuroimaging techniques. Neuroimaging signal processing: Event Related Potentials (ERPs), Blind Source Separation (BSS) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA). Brain source localization from EEG/MEG recordings. Functional and Effective Brain connectivity: Granger Causality (GC), Directed Transfer Function (DTF), Partial Directed Coherence (PDC). EEGLAB toolbox: an open source framework for EEG/MEG data analysis. SPM toolbox: an open source framework for MEG/fMRI data analysis. Laboratory activities.

Development of the examination
LEARNING EVALUATION METHODS
The assessment of student learning consists of two/three parts: - A written test and/or project. Written test consisting in the solution of two or three exercises on topics covered in the course, to be completed in 90 or 120 minutes, depending on the type of exercise; project (to be assigned to groups of two max three students) consist in developing a preprocessing and processing strategies, using matlab and the toolboxes studied during the course, on real neuroimaging data. - An oral, consisting in the discussion on one or more topics covered in the course. The written test and/or the project is/are in preparation for the oral exam, access to which the student must have obtained the pass in the written test and /or the project. The oral examination must be supported in the same appeal of the written test. In case of failure of the oral exam, the student must also repeat the written test but not the project (just in case it has been assigned).

LEARNING EVALUATION CRITERIA
To successfully pass the examination, the student must demonstrate, through the three parts of the oral session, that he/she has fully understood the concepts presented in the course, is able to apply them using algorithms implemented in Matlab, and has ability of synthesis and communication clarity.

LEARNING MEASUREMENT CRITERIA
For each of the tests specified before it is assigned a score between zero and thirty. The overall grade, is the average of the scores obtained in all the tests, with rounding to the entire excess.

FINAL MARK ALLOCATION CRITERIA
In order that, the overall outcome of the evaluation is positive, the student must achieve at least the sufficiency, equal to 18/30, in each of the tests described above. The highest rating is achieved by demonstrating a thorough understanding of the course content in the tests. Laudem is given to students who, having done all the tests so correctly, have demonstrated a particular brilliance in the exposition and in the preparation of written test.

Recommended reading
1. Neuroscience, 3rd Edition. Edited by D. Purves, G.J. Augustine, D. Fitzpatrick, W.C. Hall, A.S. LaMantia, J.O. McNamara, and S.M. Williams. Neurology 2005 vol. 64 no. 4 769-769-a. doi: 10.1212/01.WNL.0000154473.43364.47. Chapters 1, 8, 15, 16, 25, 26,

Courses

• Biomedical Engineering (Corso di Laurea Magistrale (DM 270/04))