Facilities
World-class research facilities
We have access to the world’s first child whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) system – which is also currently the only child MEG facility in the Southern Hemisphere.
Other facilities that CLaS and linguistics PhD students can access are:
- child language acquisition laboratory
- child phonology laboratory
- eye tracking labs
- speech laboratories (speech movement/kinematics, electropalatography, ultrasound, oral and nasal airflow)
- sound-treated recording studios
MEG
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a technique for measuring and visualising the working human brain.
MEG measurements allow us to study how the brain is able to produce the contents and processes of the mind – sensations and perceptions, language, cognitions and emotions. It also allows us to study how these mental processes may be disrupted when the brain fails to function normally.
MEG measures brain activity in a way that has no effect on the brain or the body.
KIT-Macquarie Brain Research Laboratory
The KIT-Macquarie Brain Research Laboratory is home to the world’s first child MEG system and is currently the only MEG facility in the Southern Hemisphere.
We have an adult MEG system and a second system customised for preschool children. Additionally, we have a prototype system developed for use with hearing aid devices, including cochlear implants.
We carry out research on human brain function in:
- normal adults
- adults with neurological or psychiatric disorders
- normally developing children
- children with developmental disorders.
MEG simulator
Brain scans can be scary, so the MEG simulator puts kids at ease before their scan.
As part of their ‘mission’, the mini-astronauts (aka the children) listen to instructions from ground control and receive feedback if their heads move too much. This prepares them for the bigger machine and ensures accurate results.