Course Materials

Neuroimaging Methods - RADI 6017 - Fall 2008

Education

Research Interests

Shalini Narayana’s research interests are in the field of speech and motor systems. She applies several neuroimaging methods such as TMS, PET, and MRI in her research. Dr. Narayana is currently working on projects such as motor learning, TMS induced enhancement of performance, pathophysiology and treatment outcome in stuttering, mechanism of action of speech therapy in Parkinson’s disease. Another area of interest to Shalini Narayana is to improve and expand diagnostic and therapeutic uses of TMS. Shalini Narayana also has interest in applying tracer kinetics and quantification of physiological measurements such as blood flow, glucose metabolism, and oxygen metabolism using PET.

Recent Publications
1. Narayana S, Jacks A, Robin DA, Poizner H, Zhang W, Franklin C, Lioti M, Vogel D, Fox PT (2008). A non-Invasive imaging approach to understanding speech changes following deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease. American Journal of Speech Language Pathology (in press).
2. Szabo CA, Narayana S, Franklin C, Knapp K, Davis D, Fox PT, Leland MM, Williams J. (2008). Resting CBF in the epileptic baboon: Correlation with Ketamine dose and interictal epileptic discharges. Epilepsy Research (in press)
3. Laird, AR, Robbins JM, Li K, Price LR, Cykowski MD, Narayana S, Laird RW, Franklin C, Fox PT (2008). Modeling motor connectivity using TMS/PET and structural equation modeling. NeuroImage, 41, 424-436.
4. Szabo CA, Narayana S, Kochunov P, Franklin C, Knapp K, Williams J, Fox PT. (2007). Functional PET During Photic Stimulation in the Photosensitive Baboon. Epilepsia, 48(2): 245-53.

5. Fox PT, Narayana S , Tandon N, Fox S, Sandoval S, Kochunov P, Lancaster JL. (2006). Intensity modulation of TMS-induced cortical excitation: Primary Motor Cortex. Hum Brain Mapp 7(6): 478-87.

6. Lancaster JL, Narayana S, Wenzel D, Luckemeyer J, Roby J, Fox PT. (2004). Evaluation of an image-guided robotically-positioned TMS system. Hum Brain Mapp 22(4): 329-40.

7. Feng CM, Narayana S, Lancaster JL, Jerabek, PA, Arnow TL, Zhu F, Tan LH, Fox, PT, Gao JH. (2004). CBF changes during brain activation: fMRI vs. PET. NeuroImage 22: 443-446.

8. Fox, PT, Narayana S, Tandon N, Sandoval H, Fox SP, Kochunov P, Lancaster JL. (2004). A column-based model of electric field excitation of cerebral cortex. Hum Brain Mapp 22(1): 1-14.

9. Tandon N, Narayana S, Lancaster JL, Brown S, Dodd S, Vollmer DG, Ingham R, Ingham J, Liotti M, Fox PT. (2003). CNS Resident Award: Role of the lateral premotor cortex in articulation. Clin Neurosurg 50: 341-9.

10. Narayana S, Xiong J. (2003). Reading treatment helps children with dyslexia and changes activity in language areas of the brain. Neurology 61(2): E5-6.

11. Lee JS, Narayana S, Lancaster JL, Jerabek P, Lee DS, and Fox PT. (2003). PET during transcranial magnetic stimulation does not require mu-metal shielding. NeuroImage 19: 1812-1819.

12. Nickerson LD, Narayana S, Lancaster JL, Fox PT, Gao JH. (2003). Estimation of the local statistical noise in positron emission tomography revisited: Practical implementation. NeuroImage 19(2 Pt 1): 442-56.

13. Narayana S, Hichwa RD, Ponto LLB, Hurtig RR, and Watkins GL. (1997). Construction of a whole body blood flow model for use in positron emission tomography imaging with [15O]water. Journal of Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics 25(5): 539-568.

14. Narayana S, Hichwa RD, Ponto LLB, Ponto JA, and Watkins GL. (1996). Dosimetry of [15O]water: A physiologic approach. Med Phys 23(1): 159-168.

15. Hurtig RR, Hichwa RD, O'Leary DS, Ponto LLB, Narayana S, Watkins GL, and Andreasen NC. (1994). The effects of timing and duration of cognitive activation in [15O]water PET studies. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 14(3): 423-430.

Presentations
1. Narayana S, Fox PT, Zhang W, Frankin C, Robin DA, Vogel D, Ramig LO. Neural Correlates of Efficacy of Voice Therapy Identified by Performance-Correlation Analysis. Presented at the Conference on Motor Speech, March 2008.
2. Petri M, Narayana S, Naqibuddin M, Sampedro M, Brey RL, Holliday SL, Kochunov P,Franklin C, Wallace DJ, Weisman MH, Fox PT. White Matter Inflammation Revealed By FDG-PET as a Marker of SLE Disease Activity. Presented at the ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting, Nov 2007.
3. Laird A, Robbins J, Li K, Narayana S, Laird R, Franklin C, Price L, Fox PT (2007). Structural equation modeling of the efference copy network using TMS/PET. International Conference on Functional Mapping of the Human Brain, June 2007, Chicago, IL, USA.
4. Mokul ES, Narayana S, Silva L, Peluso MAM, Zamarripa F, Najt P, Nery F, Hatch JP, Lancaster JL, Fox PT, Soares JC (2007). Altered dorsolateral prefrontal cortical response and connectivity in patients with major depression: A TMS/PET study. International Conference on Functional Mapping of the Human Brain, June 2007, Chicago, IL, USA.
5. Wang B, Narayana S, Lancaster JL, Fox PT, Xiong J (2005). Study of Motor Learning by Functional MRI and PET. International Conference on Functional Mapping of the Human Brain, 2005, Toronto, Canada.
6. Tandon N, Narayana S, Lancaster JL, Brown S, Dodd S, Vollmer DG, Ingham R, Ingham J, Liotti M, Fox PT (2003). CNS Resident Award: role of the lateral premotor cortex in articulation Clin Neurosurg,50:341-9.
7. Tandon N., Narayana S., Zamarripa F., Lancaster J. and Fox P.T. (2001). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) intensity dependent alterations in regional cerebral blood flow. Neuroimage 13(6) S1010.
8. Narayana S., Tandon N., Ingham R., Ingham J., Martinez M., Lancaster J.L., Xiong J., Dodd S., and Fox P.T. (2001). Characterization of speech apraxia produced during low rate TMS to dorsolateral frontal cortex. Abstracts, Society for Neuroscience, vol 27.

Teaching

Shalini Narayana is a member of the committee of graduate studies (COGS) in the Radiological Sciences graduate program, UTHSCSA. Shalini Narayana teaches a graduate level class each fall titled “Neuroscience Imaging Methods” (RADI 6017). The class is a survey and an overview of several methods of studying brain anatomy and physiology. The class will discuss surface based, tomographic as well as histological methods. This is a 3 credit hour class meets once a week.

Recent Honors and Awards

Funding

Relationship of Cytokines to Cognitive Functions in HCV. PI. Hilsabeck. Role Co-Investigator. The overall goal of this research proposal is to provide the candidate with the necessary training in viral neuroimmunology to become an independent researcher capable of investigating the relationship between the immune response and cognitive functioning in patients with chronic infection

San Antonio Life Science Institute (SALSI): Neural basis of Vocal Imitation. PI: Narayana. The major goal of this research is to analyze the behavioral and neural correlates of how lexical tone, used in languages such as Mandarin, Thai, and Vietnamese (so-called “tone languages”), may facilitate the processing of pitches and/or pitch relationships in non-linguistic contexts. The main hypothesis to be tested is that tone language should facilitate pitch perception and production compared to non-tone language.

NSF: Imaging Mechanisms of Action in Motor Learning. PI Xiong. The major goals of this project are to develop system-level modeling strategies for neuroimaging and to apply these novel strategies to mechanisms of action of motor learning.

M01 “General Clinical Research Center (GCRC)” Imaging Core. PI. Mundy. The overall goal of this research proposal is to maintain a Frederick C. Bartter GCRC Imaging Core in order to bring technically advanced image acquisition, image analysis and image-data modeling resources to bear on important clinical research problems.

R01 NIH Brain Conections. PI Petri. The overall objective of this proposal is to advance the use of quantitative metanalysis as a research method for functional human brain mapping by assessing and minimizing the effects of different informatics tools.

R01 NIH Efficacy of Voice Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease. PI Ramig. Parkinson's Disease (PD) hypophonia and dysprosodia improve with LSVT. The central mechanisms involved in such treatment effects are unknown. In the present project, these mechanisms will be investigated in 10 PD patients pre- and post-LSVT and 10 matched controls with behavior and functional neuroimaging (Positron Emission Tomography or PET).

T32 NIH/NRSA Traiining grant. Multidisciplinary Training Program in Human Imaging. PI Fullerton. This grant provides stipends to support one graduate student in Medical Physics and one in Human Imaging.

Epilepsy Foundation. Brain Activation During Photic Stimulation in the Baboon. PI Szabo. The overall goal of this research proposal is to study the brain activation during photic stimulation in the baboon.

R01- NIH/NIDCD. Stuttering Therapy and Neurophysiological Interaction. PI Ingham. This study constitutes a Phase II treatment efficacy study that will also determine the need for a Phase III treatment trial.

VA Merit. Mechanisms of Action of TMS-Induced Performance Enhancement. PI Fox. The overall goal of this project is 1) to determine the mechanisms of action of short-term (single stimulation session) TMS-induced performance enhancement. 2) To determine the mechanisms of action of long-term (multiple stimulation sessions) TMS-induced performance enhancement.