Cardiff scientists use computer power to speed up scan results

Cardiff University is creating the UK’s biggest computer cluster as part of a £10m science centre to conduct research into the human brain.

The Cardiff University Brain and Repair Imaging Centre (Cubric) will use the cluster to generate near real-time analysis of brain scans.

It will be based on an IBM 75-node, 300-processor cluster and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Magnetoencephalography (Meg) scanners.

‘Most MRI, Pet [Position Emmission Tomography] and Meg-equipped centres use desktop-level systems for this kind of work, which can take hours or even days, said Cubric director Professor Peter Halligan.

‘With this cluster, which will be among the biggest in Europe, the analysis time can come down to minutes or even seconds,’ he said.

The power from the cluster will allow scientists to analyse brain scan results in near real time while people are being scanned, a capability that other centres do not yet have. Further examination of brain activity can be done immediately, if needed.

Halligan says the centre plans to use the new equipment to examine areas such as how a brain functions when it is learning, the neural underpinnings of memory, and how things such as vision and language work.

‘Our focus is on things such as education. Any child who is exposed to learning has their brain changed: we want to know how. If they have difficulties with reading, in the case of dyslexia, for example, what are the systems that are involved in that?’

The centre is scheduled to be operational by June.