Overview
The Human Neuroimaging Laboratory is a new, state-of-the-art facility dedicated to basic research investigations into the physiology and functional anatomy of the human brain using fMRI. Construction of the HNL was completed in February, 2003. It houses two 3 T, head-only, Allegra Siemens fMRI scanners, and supports several full-time neuroscientists, a physicist, computer programmers, technicians, a distinguished visiting scientists program, and administrative support.
View the scanner installation video Part 1 Part 2
The laboratory is part of Baylor College of Medicine, located in the heart of the Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX. Neighboring institutions, such as Rice University and the University of Houston, are also involved in research at the HNL. Research projects cover a wide variety of fields, including neuroscience, psychology, sociology, and economics. Particular areas of interest are hyperscanning (a means of exploring the brain activity that underlies human social interactions), neuroeconomics, the role of the dopaminergic system in reward processing, neural circuitry of the aesthetic response, and the brain basis of normal and abusive mother-child interactions.