The Electron Microscopy (EM) Facility offers many services to the research community at the Nathan Kline Institute. Supporting a Phillips CM10 Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) with digital imaging capability is a fully equipped and staffed laboratory and dark room.

Facility services include morphometric analyses based on a Bioquant VI system format, immunocytochemistry, as well as standard EM techniques. Advanced light microscopic analyses are offered with a Leica 2 channel, 3 laser confocal scanning microscope with the capacity for performing 3D and real-time capture imaging.

The services of the facility are currently available to outside investigators on a fee-for-use basis.
Electron Microscopy
Image Analysis (Bioquant software)
Confocal Microscopy
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Genomics Facility
Genomics Facility

Microarray technology and instrumentation is available in the Center for Dementia Research at the NKI. Specifically, regional and single cell microdissection combined with custom-designed cDNA array analysis is performed routinely in the laboratory of Dr. Ginsberg 2, 3.

Microaspiration is performed with a microcontrolled vacuum source (Eppendorf) connected to a micromanipulator and inverted microscope system. A laser capture microdissection unit will be added in the near future. A state-of-the-art RNA amplification method called terminal continuation (TC) RNA amplification developed by Dr. Ginsberg and Dr. Che at the NKI 1, 3 allows for high-precision, linear amplification of transcripts from minute amounts of starting material, including single cells from post mortem human brains and the brains of animal models of neurodegeneration.

cDNA array platforms include custom-designed arrays consisting of full length/near full length cDNA clones as well as expressed sequence tagged cDNAs (ESTs) adhered to nylon membranes. A new robotic system has been purchased (Virtek) that enables the arraying of >400 clones onto custom-designed membranes. Probe hybridization can be performed using radiolabel, biotin, or fluorescent chemistries. The instrumentation also includes multiple hybridization ovens, phosphor imager, and imaging workstations. A real-time quantitative PCR cycler is being sought to validate changes observed via cDNA microarray analysis.

1. Che S. and Ginsberg S. D. (2002) Amplification of transcripts using terminal continuation. submitted for publication.
2. Ginsberg S. D. (2001) Gene expression profiling using single cell microdissection combined with cDNA microarrays. In: DNA Microarrays: The New Frontier in Gene Discovery and Gene Expression Analysis. (ed. D. H. Geschwind), pp. 61-70. Society for Neuroscience Press, Washington.
3. Ginsberg S. D. and Che S. (2002) RNA amplification in brain tissues. Neurochem Res. in press.
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Health Sciences Library

The Health Sciences Library of the Nathan Kline Institute offers an extensive array of mental health and medical information resources in both print and electronic formats.  The research-oriented collection is particularly strong in psychiatry, neuroscience, and psychopharmacology.  It includes over 75 current journal subscriptions and more than 25,000 books and bound journal volumes.  Access is provided to the entire MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases.  Dozens of other databases are also accessible.  The NKI Library is one of the best sources for mental health information in the Hudson valley region.

The Library's primary purpose is to fulfill the information needs of the NKI research staff and, secondly, of the clinical and administrative staffs of the Rockland Psychiatric Center (RPC) and the Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center (RCPC).  The Library is also open to the public, and the staff strives to provide accurate and efficient access to mental health information to anyone who needs it.

Along with its director Stuart Moss, the library is also staffed by Ms. Julie Peterson and Ms. Christiana Fadina.  For further information, contact Mr. Moss at Moss@nki.rfmh.org or (845) 398-6576.
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Center for Advanced Brain Imaging (CABI)

Collaborations in the CDR with researchers at NKI’s Center for Advanced Brain Imaging (CABI) have yielded the first images of the brain in transgenic mice modeling the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. The sensitive detection of pathology in animal models has provided the basis for new neuro-imaging approaches to characterize patients with mild cognitive impairment or AD.


The facility, approximately 12,000 sq. ft. in size, is centered around the technology of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and houses three state-of-the-art MR systems.

The first system is a 1.5 Tesla SIEMENS MRI/MRS unit which is primarily used to provide clinical diagnostic MR services for OMH patients.  When not in use for clinical diagnostic work, this unit is utilized for basic and clinical neuroimaging research.

The second system is a 3.0 Tesla MRI/MRS unit supported by Phillips Medical, and is used for human brain research. The research conducted on this system centers on major clinical research programs currently underway at NKI and its collaborating institutions.  These include, investigations of pathologies which affect geriatric patients, such as Alzheimer's disease, senile dementias, memory deficits, and response to drug therapy; investigations of the biophysics and structure of white matter abnormalities and connectivity in schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders, the cause and control of aggressive behavior in schizophrenic patients; and the response to various drug therapies for schizophrenia and other severe, chronic, mental disorders.

The Center houses a third system, a 7 Tesla MRI/MRS research unit supported by Phillips Medical, which exists within The Facility for Basic Neuroimaging, and is supported by additional laboratories for the preparation of in vivo and in vitro specimens. This facility is used to investigate numerous important topics related to the clinical research programs cannot be conducted on human subjects and must be conducted on animal described above, but which models or in vitro specimens.
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