We concentrate on the development and application of magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy (MRI/MRS) techniques for application in cognitive neuroscience and neurology. To this end my group currently has three research foci:

1. Arterial Blood Contrast (ABC). By suppressing the grey matter signal using magnetisation transfer, the total signal from a voxel will increase when the blood volume increases, as happens during brain activation. In this way we hope to improve the spatial specificity of the fMRI experiment without compromising on the temporal resolution.
2. Layer specific fMRI. Most fMRI experiments are performed at a spatial resolution of 2-3 mm, which is too coarse to resolve columnar and laminar structures. The ability to resolve activation at the level of the laminae potentially opens the possibility to interrogate feed-forward and feed-back relationships between different brain regions. We are now active in a number of projects studying language, cognitive control, and together with the group of Nikolai Axmacher (Bochum) the hippocampus.
3. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter. Both are detectable using proton spectroscopy (MRS). In a collaboration with MGH we are establishing protocols for interleaved measurement of 3D fMRI and MRS as these yield orthogonal information.