Jamie Near

6875 Boulevard Lasalle
Montréal, QC
H4H 1R3
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University
Associate Member, Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University
Researcher, Douglas Mental Health University Institute
MRI Physicist, Douglas Centre d'Imagerie Cérébrale
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
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Frequency and phase correction for multiplexed edited MRS of GABA and glutathione. Magn Reson Med. 2018;80(1):21-28.
-
A purpose-built neck coil for black-blood DANTE-prepared carotid artery imaging at 7T. Magn Reson Imaging. 2017;40:53-61.
-
A chronic in situ coil system adapted for intracerebral stimulation during MRI in rats. J Neurosci Methods. 2017;284:85-95.
-
A non-invasive restraining system for awake mouse imaging. J Neurosci Methods. 2017;287:53-57.
-
Effect of age and the APOE gene on metabolite concentrations in the posterior cingulate cortex. Neuroimage. 2017;152:509-516.
-
Advanced processing and simulation of MRS data using the FID appliance (FID-A)-An open source, MATLAB-based toolkit. Magn Reson Med. 2017;77(1):23-33.
-
Pathological glutamatergic neurotransmission in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Brain. 2017;140(Pt 1):218-234.
-
Volumetric navigated MEGA-SPECIAL for real-time motion and shim corrected GABA editing. NMR Biomed. 2016;29(3):248-55.
-
A pilot study of the effect of short-term escitalopram treatment on brain metabolites and gamma-oscillations in healthy subjects. J Psychopharmacol (Oxford). 2016;30(6):579-80.
-
Prefrontal inositol levels and implicit decision-making in healthy individuals and depressed patients. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2016;26(8):1255-63.
-
Spectroscopy markers of suicidal risk and mental pain in depressed patients. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2016.
-
Linking GABA and glutamate levels to cognitive skill acquisition during development. Hum Brain Mapp. 2015;36(11):4334-45.
-
Phosphene Perception Relates to Visual Cortex Glutamate Levels and Covaries with Atypical Visuospatial Awareness. Cereb Cortex. 2015;25(11):4341-50.
-
Altered neurochemical coupling in the occipital cortex in migraine with visual aura. Cephalalgia. 2015;35(11):1025-30.
-
Neurochemistry of major depression: a study using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2015;232(3):501-7.
-
GABA levels are decreased after stroke and GABA changes during rehabilitation correlate with motor improvement. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2015;29(3):278-86.
Recent Publications
-
Frequency and phase correction for multiplexed edited MRS of GABA and glutathione. Magn Reson Med. 2018;80(1):21-28.
-
A purpose-built neck coil for black-blood DANTE-prepared carotid artery imaging at 7T. Magn Reson Imaging. 2017;40:53-61.
-
A chronic in situ coil system adapted for intracerebral stimulation during MRI in rats. J Neurosci Methods. 2017;284:85-95.
-
A non-invasive restraining system for awake mouse imaging. J Neurosci Methods. 2017;287:53-57.
-
Effect of age and the APOE gene on metabolite concentrations in the posterior cingulate cortex. Neuroimage. 2017;152:509-516.
-
Advanced processing and simulation of MRS data using the FID appliance (FID-A)-An open source, MATLAB-based toolkit. Magn Reson Med. 2017;77(1):23-33.
-
Pathological glutamatergic neurotransmission in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. Brain. 2017;140(Pt 1):218-234.
-
Volumetric navigated MEGA-SPECIAL for real-time motion and shim corrected GABA editing. NMR Biomed. 2016;29(3):248-55.
-
A pilot study of the effect of short-term escitalopram treatment on brain metabolites and gamma-oscillations in healthy subjects. J Psychopharmacol (Oxford). 2016;30(6):579-80.
-
Prefrontal inositol levels and implicit decision-making in healthy individuals and depressed patients. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2016;26(8):1255-63.
-
Spectroscopy markers of suicidal risk and mental pain in depressed patients. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2016.
-
Linking GABA and glutamate levels to cognitive skill acquisition during development. Hum Brain Mapp. 2015;36(11):4334-45.
-
Phosphene Perception Relates to Visual Cortex Glutamate Levels and Covaries with Atypical Visuospatial Awareness. Cereb Cortex. 2015;25(11):4341-50.
-
Altered neurochemical coupling in the occipital cortex in migraine with visual aura. Cephalalgia. 2015;35(11):1025-30.
-
Neurochemistry of major depression: a study using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2015;232(3):501-7.
-
GABA levels are decreased after stroke and GABA changes during rehabilitation correlate with motor improvement. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2015;29(3):278-86.
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