29 Jul 22. Online learning: Functional Imaging

Functional imaging is an elective course in the Edinburgh Imaging Academy’s post-graduate MSc / Diploma / Certificate programme portfolio. It can also be taken not-for-credit as CPD / CME.

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Motor activations while participant was undergoing left hand tapping at a frequency of 1Hz.
Motor activations while participant was undergoing left hand tapping at a frequency of 1Hz.

Our online Functional Imaging (FIMA) short course teaches functional imaging relating to the brain, covering functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and electro- & magneto-encephalography (EEG & MEG).

We cover:

  • experimental design
  • pre-processing
  • data analysis
  • statistical inferences
  • ASL
  • VBM / VBA
  • & some neurophysiology

You can download our syllabus, which includes all the learning objectives for each module and lecture, here:

 

We offer multiple options for studying Functional imaging:

  • As a stand-alone course gaining University credits:

    • Starts in January / Winter / Semester 2
    • 10 University credits
  • As a stand-alone course, without University credits for CPD / CME preparation:
    • Starts anytime
  • As an elective embedded in one of our online degree programmes:

 

We asked Dr Joana Leitão, Research Associate in fMRI and main tutor for the Functional Imaging course, to describe the course in more detail:

 

  • Who is the FIMA course aimed at?

    • If you are interested in being able to interpret results from functional imaging studies and gaining a basic understanding of the methods used to derive them, this course is for you. Having in mind the different backgrounds that come together in the imaging field, this course aims at providing materials in a way that is accessible to such a diverse audience.

 

  • What can you learn in the FIMA course?

    • The course will focus primarily on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) but will also touch on the basics of magneto and electro encephalography (MEG/EEG) methodologies. The course will start off with a neurophysiology primer and an overview of the type of signal that is measured with each of the different imaging methodologies. After a brief introduction of MEG/EEG data, the course will then focus on the different pre-processing steps included in the analyses of fMRI data, linking these steps to interpretation of the results and common issues/pitfalls encountered during fMRI analyses. Learning how to critically appraise results will be reinforced through the courses’ assessments that will rely on analytical reviews of relevant research papers.

 

  • What benefits can you get from our online study options?

    • The fact that the course is delivered online allows you to go through the materials at your own pace, thus providing a lot of flexibility to tailor learning to your individual context. At the same time, a tutor will always be there to guide you through the process and answer any questions you might have, such that you don’t have to go through all of it alone.

 

  • What outcomes / what can you expect at the end of the FIMA course?

    • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​At the end of the course, you will have gained working knowledge of what is being measured when using different functional imaging techniques, the different steps that take you from the raw data to the end results, as well as common issues encountered in the process. This will allow you to make more informed interpretations when reading research papers and will provide you with the basic tool set in case you want to perform your own experiments using functional imaging, in particular fMRI.

 

 

 

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Functional imaging is an elective course in the Edinburgh Imaging Academy’s post-graduate MSc / Diploma / Certificate programme portfolio. It can also be taken not-for-credit as CPD / CME.

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