Lab team for Medical Biophysics Curling tournament 2013
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Author Archives: Rhodri Cusack
Welcome to London
The lab would like to welcome a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Charlotte Herzmann, who has come to us from the University of Bremen, Germany. Charlotte will be using neuroimaging to study infant development, and how this becomes disrupted following perinatal brain injury.
As a welcome to Charlotte, here are some of our favourite things around the city…
Food
- On the Move Organics run a weekly box scheme that delivers delicious veg to central London (by bicycle to many areas)
- London Farmers’ Market on a Saturday morning is a great place to pick up delicious fruit, veg, meat, spices, pies, juice, and coffee, with lots of organic produce.
- For cheap fresh fruit and veg (or a live goose) go to the Trails End Farmers’ Market
- Pick up some excellent bread from the Artisan Bakery
- Go to the fantastic United Supermarket for fish, shellfish, cephlapods or asian veg and goods.
Cafes
- Covent Garden Market is a great place for lunch: try the New Delhi Deli (excellent curry); the Tea Haus or the greek place to the left of the main doors.
- Organic Works make gluten-free breads and cakes and deliver all over Eastern Canada. They serve excellent coffee and have a nice space with wifi.
- The Root Cellar is a charming cafe on the up-and-coming east end of Dundas, just opposite fantastic Wisdom tea shop
Leisure
- Ski 15 minutes from the city centre at the not-for-profit Boler Mountain, a perfect bonsai ski resort
- Join the 50+ people playing Ultimate once a week
- Make (or buy) pottery, art or theatre
- Skate at Victoria Park, at the Covent Garden Market or at Storybook Gardens in Springbank Park
- Hear some music at The Aeolian or at Canada’s biggest world music festival, Sunfest.
- Catch up on what’s on in the Beat or on London Fuse
- An active squash club at Goodlife’s King & Wellington gym, or the exclusive London Squash Rackets Club
Comment on “Auditory perception at the root of language learning.”
The following was submitted as a letter to a journal, but was rejected without review. It is a comment on “Mueller, J. L., Friederici, A. D., & Mannel, C. (2012). Auditory perception at the root of language learning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012, 1–6. doi:10.1073/pnas.1204319109“. To comment, please click on “Leave a reply” at the bottom of the post.
Circularity at the root of learning
Neuroimaging can be used to probe cognitive processes like language development at an age when behavioral responses are not yet available. The report by Mueller et al. [1] described the use of electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate individual differences in grammatical rule learning in 3-month old infants.
In their auditory oddball paradigm, triplets of syllables were presented in a sequence. Approximately 10% of triplets contained a final syllable that deviated in pitch and ~10% of triplets deviated in the rule with which the syllables were chosen. Mismatch Responses (MMRs) to pitch deviants have been shown in young infants before [2]. Early in development (2-3 months), deviants evoke a slowly changing positive MMR and this typically matures by four months to a more rapid, negative MMR, as seen in adults.
The report presents data from 65 infants of age three months. It concludes that pitch deviants elicit an immature positive MMR in 49% of the infants and a negative MMR in the remainder; and that rule deviants elicit a response only in infants with a mature negative pitch MMR. Together, these are taken to indicate that abstract rule learning depends on basic auditory processing abilities. However, the statistics reported do not justify these conclusions.
As the infants were split into groups according to the sign of their pitch MMR, it is circular to then test for a non-zero pitch MMR within each of these groups. The tests have a high risk of Type 2 error, and significant results would be obtained under the null hypothesis that the data comprised noise alone [3]. This makes it difficult to interpret the blue waveforms and bars in Fig 2 A,B,C&D, the PxMMR interaction, or the Neg MMR measures in Table 1. Thus, evidence was not provided for the presence of a pitch MMR, although anecdotally, the shapes of the positive and negative curves are similar to those observed previously [2]. The interactions involving pitch MMR and region will also be biased in the likely circumstance that noise level varies by region. To assess the statistical significance of the pitch MMR (or higher-level interactions), cross validation could be performed by splitting each participant’s data (e.g., assign groups using half of the data, run statistics on the other half)
Statistics were also not presented to show that the positive and negative pitch-MMR groups had a different MMR response to rule deviants. The rule MMR reached significance in the negative group and not in the positive group, but tests were not reported to establish these differed significantly (i.e., Boys: MMRxR; Girls: MMRxR) [4]. The higher-level interaction reported (MMRxRxSex) might be driven by the opposite signs of the boys and girls with negative MMR. Further, the positive rule MMR appears to have different morphology from that previously reported [2].
In summary, the conclusions stated are not justified given the reported statistics. Rigorous statistical practices are critical for guiding the interpretation of neuroimaging data, particularly as prominent researchers have suggested only half of all studies will replicate [5].
References
[1] Mueller, J. L., Friederici, a. D., & Mannel, C. (2012). Auditory perception at the root of language learning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012, 1–6. doi:10.1073/pnas.1204319109
[2] He, C., Hotson, L., & Trainor, L. J. (2007). Mismatch responses to pitch changes in early infancy. Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 19(5), 878–92. doi:10.1162/jocn.2007.19.5.878
[3] Kriegeskorte, N., Simmons, W. K., Bellgowan, P. S. F., & Baker, C. I. (2009). Circular analysis in systems neuroscience: the dangers of double dipping. Nature Neuroscience, 12(5), 535–540.
[4] Nieuwenhuis, S., Forstmann, B. U., & Wagenmakers, E.-J. (2011). Erroneous analyses of interactions in neuroscience: a problem of significance. Nature Neuroscience, 14(9), 1105–1107. doi:10.1038/nn.2886
[5] http://www.danielbor.com/dilemma-weak-neuroimaging/
Thanks to Bobby Stojanoski, Michelle C. Tran, Annika C. Linke & Conor J. Wild for their help in drafting this comment.
Visitors discuss collaborations in Eastern Africa
On October 17, the lab was proud to host a visiting delegation from Ottowa, Kenya and Zimbabwe – left to right: His Excellency Mr. Simon Nabukwesi, Kenya High Commissioner in Ottawa; Prof. Olive Mugenda, Vice Chancellor, Kenyatta University; Her Excellency Dr. Florence Zano Chideya , Zimbabwean High Commissioner in Ottawa; Prof. George Magoha, Vice Chancellor, University of Nairobi; Dr Melanie Katsivo, Western University; Dr. Albert G. Gachau, Chair, Department of Pathology, Kenyatta University Medical School; Dr. Rhodri Cusack, Western University; Mr. Mohammed Nur Adan, First Secretary, Kenya High Commission in Ottawa. We had a stimulating and productive discussion of future collaboration to develop assessments of function in newborns following brain injury.
Congratulations & welcome
Congratulations to Conor Wild on successfully defending his PhD thesis, “Predictive Coding: How the Human Brain Uses Context to Facilitate the Perception of Degraded Speech”, with very minimal changes.
Also, the lab welcomes Jeff Crukley, an audiology expert, who started on our Collaborative Health Research Project to assess neonatal brain function. This project will continue to build up into the spring, with Hester Duffy starting in November 2012, two more postdoctoral fellows in March 2013.
Postdoctoral Fellow to develop methods for improving functional MRI of the newborn brain
We seek a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join a dynamic interdisciplinary team of neuroscientists, clinician-researchers, medical biophysicists and computer scientists in the development of assessments of brain function in newborns.
There are many ways that brain injury can be sustained around the time of birth, which can have lifelong consequences for the individual, their family, and society as a whole. It is important to identify early which brain functions are impacted, so that care and intervention can be provided in the critical developmental time window when they are most effective.
The post-holder will adapt methods from pediatric and adult fMRI to improve neonatal neuroimaging. We seek strong, enthusiastic applicants with a background in medical biophysics, physics, engineering, computer science or mathematics. The successful applicant will enjoy working as part of an interdisciplinary team and be able to communicate clearly with those from other areas of expertise.
For further details on the project, see http://www.cusacklab.org/?page_id=976. To apply, please send a detailed CV and a cover letter explaining why this project interests you and how your skills and abilities will contribute, to Professor Rhodri Cusack (vacancies@cusacklab.org) with the subject line “Newborn fMRI”. The position will initially be for up to two years and at the time of appointment candidates will have obtained (or be about to obtain) a PhD in a relevant discipline. Salary will be in the region of $45,000 per year. Please feel free to contact us if you have any informal enquiries. The selection process will begin on June 1, 2012, and the post will begin in Summer 2012 at the earliest.
Postdoctoral Fellow to develop auditory protocols to probe the function of the newborn brain
We seek a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join a dynamic interdisciplinary team of neuroscientists, clinician-researchers, medical biophysicists and computer scientists in the development of assessments of brain function in newborns.
There are many ways that brain injury can be sustained around the time of birth, which can have lifelong consequences for the individual, their family, and society as a whole. It is important to identify early which brain functions are impacted, so that care and intervention can be provided in the critical developmental time window when they are most effective.
The post-holder will design auditory stimulation protocols to probe critical cognitive functions using fMRI that can be administered in the first weeks of life. We seek strong applicants with a background in cognitive neuroscience or experimental psychology. The successful applicant will enjoy working as part of an interdisciplinary team and be able to communicate clearly with those from other areas of expertise.
For further details on the project, see http://www.cusacklab.org/?page_id=976. To apply, please send a detailed CV and a cover letter explaining why this project interests you and how your skills and abilities will contribute, to Professor Rhodri Cusack (vacancies@cusacklab.org) with the subject line “Newborn brain function”. The position will initially be for up to two years and at the time of appointment candidates will have obtained (or be about to obtain) a PhD in a relevant discipline. Salary will be in the region of $45,000 per year. Please feel free to contact us if you have any informal enquiries. The selection process will begin on June 1, 2012, and the successful applicant will begin in Summer 2012 at the earliest.
Research Assistant
We seek a dynamic, well-organized and enthusiastic Research Assistant to join a team developing assessments of brain function in newborns. There are many ways that brain injury can be sustained around the time of birth, which can have lifelong consequences for the individual, their family, and society as a whole. It is important to identify early which brain functions are impacted, so that care and intervention can be provided when they are most effective.
The post-holder’s responsibilities will include: coordinating meetings; organizing project documentation; collating patient data; initiating (and maintaining) contact with parents who have agreed to participate in research projects; visiting families at home to guide them through the testing procedure and answer basic questions; and compiling a quarterly newsletter.
The successful applicant will be: well organized; be able to understand the concerns of parents and provide accurate information to reassure them (or refer questions to members of the team); be enthusiastic and professional; and be able to maintain the confidentiality of private information. Applicants should have a BSc/BA degree (or equivalent).
For further details on the project, see http://www.cusacklab.org/?page_id=976. To apply, please send a detailed CV and a cover letter explaining why this project interests you and how your skills and abilities will contribute, to Associate Professor Rhodri Cusack (vacancies@cusacklab.org) with the subject line “Newborn project RA”. Salary will be in the region of $35-45,000 per year (including 13% benefits). The post is for 35 hours per week, and will be initially for one year. Please feel free to contact us if you have any informal enquiries. The selection process will begin on June 1, 2012, and the successful applicant will begin in Summer 2012 or soon after.
Three Masters or PhD positions in Medical Biophysics, Neurosciences or Psychology
We seek three graduate students in Medical Biophysics, Neuroscience or Psychology. You will receive training from Western’s highly regarded graduate programs. In your research project, you will join a dynamic interdisciplinary team of neuroscientists, clinician-researchers and computer scientists in the development of assessments of brain function in newborns.
There are many ways that brain injury can be sustained around the time of birth, which can have lifelong consequences for the individual, their family, and society as a whole. It is important to identify early which brain functions are impacted, so that care and intervention can be provided in the critical developmental time window when they are most effective.
The project has two facets: adapting neuroimaging methods from pediatric and adult fMRI to neonates; and designing probes of critical cognitive functions that can be administered in the first weeks of life. For this interdisciplinary challenge we seek strong, enthusiastic applicants with a background in medical biophysics, physics, engineering, computer science or mathematics to develop neuroimaging methodology and applicants with a background in cognitive neuroscience or experimental psychology to develop neurocognitive assessments.
The successful applicants will enjoy working as part of an interdisciplinary team and be able to communicate clearly with those from other areas of expertise. To apply, please send a detailed CV and a cover letter explaining why this project interests you and how your skills and abilities will contribute, to Professor Rhodri Cusack (vacancies@cusacklab.org) with the subject line “Newborn project graduate student”. Shortlisted applicants will also be asked to apply to the relevant graduate program. Please feel free to contact us if you have any informal enquiries. Shortlisting will begin on May 25, 2012. Successful applicants will begin courses in Fall 2012.
Grant award: Assessing neonatal brain function with fMRI
The laboratory has been awarded “Collaborative Research Health Project” funding from NSERC and CIHR. The project will develop assessments of neonatal brain injury using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). There are two main parts to this: adapting neuroimaging methods from adults and children to neonates; and developing stimulation protocols to measure key mental functions that are effective at this age.
The project runs for three years, and will employ three full-time staff, three graduate students, and a number of summer students. These posts will be advertised soon on this site. You can read more about our neonatal work on the Research – Brain & Mind page, and see links to our collaborators on the Collaborators page.