Nancy Morabito  
Fred J. Page High School
Honors & AP Biology and Honors Anatomy and Phys.

August 2004

Throughout the VaNTH RET program I worked with Dr. Victoria Morgan, specifically with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).fMRI is a useful diagnostic tool for assessing brain anatomy and physiology, as it depicts which parts of the brain are active while the subject performs an assigned task.  A person’s movements during imaging, however, may result in an inaccurate depiction of which regions of the brain are active.  Post-processing techniques that reduce the effects of a subject's movement on an fMRI image are frequently employed to obtain the most precise representation of brain function possible.  My project involved fMRI image processing and assessment of what types of motion correction would be appropriate for application to a particular fMRI image depending on a subject’s movements during scanning.  In addition to reading several papers about fMRI and statistical analysis, I was able to observe the use of fMRI in a clinical setting and participated in an fMRI study as a subject!

Based on my experience working with Dr. Morgan I have been developing a mosaic centered on epilepsy for use in an anatomy and physiology class.  My grand challenge will require students to interpret fMRI images of a hypothetical epilepsy patient, and evaluate whether or not the patient would be a good candidate for surgical intervention.  Other challenges focus on brain anatomy and physiology, fMRI imaging basics, and the biological basis of epilepsy.  Completion of these three challenges will enable students to respond thoroughly to their grand challenge question, as well as learn about an imaging modality which is becoming increasingly important in both clinical and research settings.