Facilities
Modern neuroscience research often demands access to cutting edge equipment, with some of the most challenging questions only constrained by the facilities to answer them. The Institute has been working to develop unparalleled resources to allow us to address those questions. Our research facilities provide a wide range of state of art equipment, including:
- Wolfson Foundation Facility for Neuroimaging of Brain Dynamics in Health and Disease
- extensive facilities for in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological recording (intracellular and extracellular)
- multielectrode array recording (Thomas Recording and Multichannel Systems and Utah arrays)
- fast laser scanning imaging for voltage sensitive dye recording
- 3T Philips Intera Achieva, 4.7T Bruker vertical bore and 7T Varian small bore MR scanners
- Siemens Biograph-40 human PET and small animal PET scanners
- six EEG laboratories (Neuroscan) for adults, children and babies
- human subdural electrophysiological recording grids
- high power computing facility for data analysis and modelling
- transcranial magnetic stimulators
- neurocognitive testing facilities
- behavioural testing in animals (e.g. five choice serial reaction task) and video recording (Ethovision)
- psychophysics for various auditory and visual stimuli
- facilities for Maxwellian-view optical presentation
- eye tracking and virtual reality image presentation
- polygraph measures for questionnaires
- movement and gait analysis equipment
- assay facilities, including gamma radiation and liquid scintillation counters
- tissue culture facilities up to category 3
- microdialysis and HPLC for neurochemistry
- receptor binding assays
- fully equipped molecular biology laboratories
gene expression microarrays and in situ hybridisation histochemistry - laser capture microdissection
- 2D fluorescence gel electrophoresis for proteomic analysis
- biocore surface plasmon resonance system for protein interactions
- brain tissue collections including aged subjects, dementia patients, and foetal / neonatal
- extensive neurohistology facilities
- numerous fluorescence and confocal laser-scanning microscopes
- image analysis equipment for morphometry and quantitative densitometry
- electron microscopes: Cambridge SEM and Philips TEM with high resolution digital cameras
As well as conducting our own research programme, our wide range of expertise is often called upon to conduct research or provide consultancy to external agencies. We are able to offer services in a number of areas from drug trials to psychophysical testing of specific subject groups. Our extensive research facilities provide the opportunity to address questions which can only be achieved with cutting edge technology.
If you are interested in using any of our services or facilities please either contact the appropriate faculty member or e-mail ion@ncl.ac.uk
A full list of University Research Facilities available for commercial use can be found on the Services for Business web pages.
