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Penn State's 3T scanner gets an upgrade.

Upgrade to MRI scanner enhances researchers’ view of the human brain

1/5/15

With a recent upgrade to the 3-Tesla (3-T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, Penn State will soon have one of the most technologically advanced scanners in the country. The upgrade will give researchers access to a clearer and more detailed picture of the human brain and its functions, as well as other bodily structures.

Nancy Dennis in MRI facility

Not all memories fade with age

8/21/13

"Everybody thinks: 'Memory declines with age,'" says cognitive neuroscientist Nancy Dennis. "And it does, to some degree. But it isn't that simple. Some types of memory fade as we age, but others are very stable." Dennis, an assistant professor of psychology at Penn State, studies the aging brain. Using functional MRI, which offers a look at brain activity in real-time, she identifies changes that occur as people get older, then tries to match this neural evidence with cognitive behavior.

High tech interrogations may promote abuse

3/17/08

There is evidence that brain imaging technology is being used to interrogate suspected terrorists despite concerns that it may not be reliable, and that it might inadvertently promote abuse of detainees, according to a Penn State researcher. He says the risk that such technology could license further abuse of detainees remains ever present, given President Bush's March 8 veto of legislation that would have prohibited the CIA from conducting aggressive interrogations.