The University of Missouri (MU) department of psychological sciences has opened the Brain Imaging Center (BIC), which will allow researchers to conduct behavioral research on diseases, such as Parkinson's, autism, schizophrenia and other neurocognitive disorders using MRI technology.

The BIC is a neuroimaging research facility will allow the facility to propose and conduct neuroimaging research on a scale that has not been possible at the university, according to Shawn Christ, an assistant professor of psychology in the MU College of Arts and Science.

The new MRI technology enables researchers to collect behavioral data by producing pictures of the brain. The magnetic pulses within the MRI machine attract the blood flow and the machine produces a specific image, which gives researchers insight into how the brain functions and the similarities and differences of various mental activities.

BIC Director Nelson Cowan, who is studying language and working memory, will use the MRI to investigate the theory that there are parts of the brain that integrate memories from all sensory modalities. The MU scientist also is studying if there is one central area where all information is kept in the brain.