Jamie Near
PhD

Division: 
Basic Neuroscience

Jamie Near
 
jamie.near@mcgill.ca

Office: 
GH-2113, Brain Imaging Centre

6875 Boulevard LaSalle
Montréal, QC
H4H 1R3


(514) 761-6131 x4759

Pubmed

Google scholar

ResearchGate

http://www.github.com/CIC-methods/FID-A

Research area: 
Basic Neuroscience / Animal Research

Research Theme: 
Stress, mood and impulsivity disorders

Researcher, Douglas Research Centre
MRI Physicist, Brain Imaging Centre, Douglas Research Centre
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University
Associate Member, Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University
Research Scholar, Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS), Junior 1


Magnetic resonance methods development


Jamie Near's research is focused on the development of advanced magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) techniques to accurately measure metabolite concentrations in the human brain. Specific activities in Jamie Near's Laboratory include:

Pulse sequence programming
Data processing and analysis
Radiofrequency coil development
Quantum mechanical simulation of MRS experiments

Jamie Near works closely with clinicians and neuroscientists to investigate the neurochemical basis of various mental illnesses using MRS.


1. Efficient ??aminobutyric acid editing at 3T without macromolecule contamination: MEGA?SPECIAL. J Near, R Simpson, P Cowen, P Jezzard. NMR in Biomedicine 2011; 24 (10): 1277-1285.

2. Unedited in vivo detection and quantification of ??aminobutyric acid in the occipital cortex using short?TE MRS at 3 T. J Near, J Andersson, E Maron, R Mekle, R Gruetter, P Cowen, P Jezzard. NMR in Biomedicine 2013; 26 (11): 1353-1362.

3. Frequency and phase drift correction of magnetic resonance spectroscopy data by spectral registration in the time domain. J Near, R Edden, CJ Evans, R Paquin, A Harris, P Jezzard. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2015; 73 (1): 44-50.

4. Baseline GABA concentration and fMRI response. MJ Donahue*, J Near*, JU Blicher, P Jezzard. Neuroimage 2010; 53 (2): 392-398. (* Equal Contribution).

5. Long-term reproducibility of GABA magnetic resonance spectroscopy. J Near, YCL Ho, K Sandberg, C Kumaragamage, JU Blicher. NeuroImage 2014; 99: 191-196.

6. J?difference editing of gamma?aminobutyric acid (GABA): Simulated and experimental multiplet patterns. J Near, CJ Evans, NAJ Puts, PB Barker, RAE Edden. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2013; 70 (5): 1183-1191.

7. Relationship between physiological measures of excitability and levels of glutamate and GABA in the human motor cortex. CJ Stagg, S Bestmann, AO Constantinescu, L Moreno Moreno, C Allman, R Mekle, M Woolrich, J Near, H Johansen-Berg, JC Rothwell. The Journal of physiology 2011; 589 (23): 5845-5855.

8. A mechanism for value-guided choice based on the excitation-inhibition balance in prefrontal cortex. G Jocham, LT Hunt, J Near, TEJ Behrens. Nature neuroscience 2012; 15 (7): 960-961.

9. Elevated cortical glutamate in young people at increased familial risk of depression. MJ Taylor, ZN Mannie, R Norbury, J Near, PJ Cowen. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology 2011; 14 (2): 255-259.

10. Resting GABA and glutamate concentrations do not predict visual gamma frequency or amplitude. H Cousijn, S Haegens, G Wallis, J Near, MG Stokes, PJ Harrison, AC Nobre. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2014; 111 (25): 9301-9306.


A native of Toronto, Jamie Near received his undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics from Queen's University in 2004. He then went on to the University of Western Ontario's Robarts Research Institute where he received his PhD in Medical Biophysics. His doctoral thesis involved the development of imaging techniques and radiofrequency coils for MR investigations of prostate cancer. Following his PhD, Jamie then went on to a postdoctoral position at the University of Oxford, UK, where his research was focused on the development of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) methods for quantitative measurement of neurotransmitter concentrations in the human brain, with a particular focus on psychiatric applications. In 2012, Jamie returned to Canada to work as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University. His laboratory is based at the Douglas Institute's Centre d'Imagerie Cérébrale, where he continues to develop MRS methods to measure neurochemical levels in the brain in both humans and small animals for investigations of psychiatric disorders.


Chathura Kumaragamage - PhD Student, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Thomas "Jay" Hennessy - Master's Student, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Dan Madularu - Postdoc (co-supervisor), Douglas Institute


Recent publications