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Abstract #1704

System for Computerized Writing and Drawing During FMRI

Fred Tam1, Nathan Churchill1,2, Stephen C. Strother1,2, Simon J. Graham1,2

1Rotman Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 2Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada


Writing and drawing are understudied with fMRI, partly for lack of a device that enables realistic approximation of this behavior, including task performance feedback and quantitative behavioural logging in the confines of the magnet. Therefore, we developed a tablet based on touchscreen technology that is accurate, reliable, and relatively inexpensive. In a preliminary fMRI experiment, we examined the neural correlates of a widely used pen-and-paper neuropsychological assessment, the Trail Making Test. The results were similar to the major results of a previous group study, which encourages us to extend the experiment and to continue developing the tablet.