Measurement and characterization of the human spinal cord SEEP response using event-related spinal fMRI

Although event-related fMRI is able to reliably detect brief changes in brain activity and is now widely used throughout systems and cognitive neuroscience, there have been no previous reports of event-related spinal cord fMRI. This is likely attributable to the various technical challenges associated with spinal fMRI (e.g., imaging a suitable length of the cord, reducing image artifacts from the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, and dealing with physiological noise from spinal cord motion). However, with many of these issues now resolved, the largest remaining impediment for event-related spinal fMRI is a deprived understanding of the spinal cord fMRI signal time course. Therefore, in this study, we used a proton density-weighted HASTE sequence, with functional contrast based on signal enhancement by extravascular water protons (SEEP), and a motion-compensating GLM analysis to (i) characterize the SEEP response function in the human cervical spinal cord and (ii) demonstrate the feasibility of event-related spinal fMRI. This was achieved by applying very brief (1 s) epochs of 22°C thermal stimulation to the palm of the hand and measuring the impulse response function. Our results suggest that the spinal cord SEEP response (time to peak ≈8 s; FWHM ≈4 s; and probably lacking pre- and poststimulus undershoots) is slower than previous estimates of SEEP or BOLD responses in the brain, but faster than previously reported spinal cord BOLD responses. Finally, by detecting and mapping consistent signal-intensity changes within and across subjects, and validating these regions with a block-designed experiment, this study represents the first successful demonstration of event-related spinal fMRI.     

BOLD sensitivity to cortical activation induced by microstimulation: comparison to visual stimulation

Electrical microstimulation via intracortical electrodes is a widely used method for deducing functions of the brain. In this study, we compared the spatial extent and amplitude of BOLD responses evoked by intracortical electrical stimulation in primary visual cortex with BOLD activations evoked by visual stimulation. The experiments were performed in anesthetized rhesus monkeys. Visual stimulation yielded activities larger than predicted from the well-established visual magnification factor. However, electrical microstimulation yielded an even greater spread of the BOLD response. Our results confirm that the effects of electrical microstimulation extend beyond the brain region expected to be excited by direct current spread.     

Numeric aspects in pitch identification: an fMRI study

Background  

Pitch identification had yielded unique response patterns compared to other auditory skills. Selecting one out of numerous pitches distinguished this task from detecting a pitch ascent. Encoding of numerous stimuli had activated the intraparietal sulcus in the visual domain. Therefore, we hypothesized that numerosity encoding during pitch identification activates the intraparietal sulcus as well.     

Nonlinear statistical properties of fMRI signals in human visual cortex during resting-state

The purpose of the current work is to study nonlinear dynamics in neuronal activity within human brain visual cortex based on blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) contrast imaging. In particular, based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals, measures of fractality, complexity, and state disorder are estimated from central and peripheral eccentricity bands across three visual areas. Statistical results from analysis of 48750 resting-state fMRI signals show evidence that nonlinear dynamics of neuronal activity in resting-state in central and peripheral eccentricity bands of human visual cortex are persistent. However, they exhibit heterogeneous variability across eccentricity bands and visual areas. Also, information content in first visual area is more ordered than in the second one, whilst information content in the third visual area is the least ordered. These interesting nonlinear statistical properties are a further step toward understanding neuronal activity and nonlinear dynamics in human brain visual cortex.     

Hemodynamic responses in human multisensory and auditory association cortex to purely visual stimulation

Background  

Recent findings of a tight coupling between visual and auditory association cortices during multisensory perception in monkeys and humans raise the question whether consistent paired presentation of simple visual and auditory stimuli prompts conditioned responses in unimodal auditory regions or multimodal association cortex once visual stimuli are presented in isolation in a post-conditioning run. To address this issue fifteen healthy participants partook in a "silent" sparse temporal event-related fMRI study. In the first (visual control) habituation phase they were presented with briefly red flashing visual stimuli. In the second (auditory control) habituation phase they heard brief telephone ringing. In the third (conditioning) phase we coincidently presented the visual stimulus (CS) paired with the auditory stimulus (UCS). In the fourth phase participants either viewed flashes paired with the auditory stimulus (maintenance, CS-) or viewed the visual stimulus in isolation (extinction, CS+) according to a 5:10 partial reinforcement schedule. The participants had no other task than attending to the stimuli and indicating the end of each trial by pressing a button.     

Elevated responses to constant facial emotions in different faces in the human amygdala: an fMRI study of facial identity and expression

Background  

Human faces provide important signals in social interactions by inferring two main types of information, individual identity and emotional expression. The ability to readily assess both, the variability and consistency among emotional expressions in different individuals, is central to one's own interpretation of the imminent environment. A factorial design was used to systematically test the interaction of either constant or variable emotional expressions with constant or variable facial identities in areas involved in face processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging.     

The neural correlates of calculation ability in children: an fMRI study

Most studies investigating mental numerical processing involve adult participants and little is known about the functioning of these systems in children. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of numeracy and the influence of age on these correlates with a group of adults and a group of third graders who had average to above average mathematical ability. Participants performed simple and complex versions of exact and approximate calculation tasks while in the magnet. Like adults, children activated a network of brain regions in the frontal and parietal lobes during the calculation tasks, and they recruited additional brain regions for the more complex versions of the tasks. However, direct comparisons between adults and children revealed significant differences in level of activation across all tasks. In particular, patterns of activation in the parietal lobe were significantly different as a function of age. Findings support previous claims that the parietal lobe becomes more specialized for arithmetic tasks with age.     

Power estimation predicts specific function action of acupuncture: an fMRI study

Purpose

The purpose was to investigate the distinct pattern of brain response induced by electroacupuncture stimulation (EAS) related to sustained acupuncture effects.

Material and Methods

Twenty-eight healthy volunteers were enrolled and randomized into two groups. According to grouping, volunteers were separately treated by EAS at GB37 (Guangming) or KI8 (Jiaoxin) during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Differences in acupuncture effects between the groups were tested by the power estimation approach.

Results

Spatial patterns of the whole brain power were different in the periaqueductal gray, occipital cortex (OC) and temporal cortex when induced by EAS at GB37 and KI8. Moreover, the differences in the sustained effects between these two acupoints were also identified and associated with the OC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and insula.

Conclusion

Electroacupuncture stimulation induced different power fluctuation patterns related to GB37 and KI8. We suggest that these findings might be attributed to the specific function action of these acupoints.     

Electric stimulation fMRI of the perforant pathway to the rat hippocampus

The hippocampal formation is a brain system that is implicated in learning and memory. The major input to the hippocampus arrives from the entorhinal cortex (EC) to the dentate gyrus (DG) through the perforant path. In the present work, we have investigated the functional properties of this connection by concomitantly applying electrophysiological techniques, deep-brain electric microstimulation and functional magnetic resonance imaging in anesthetized rats. We systematically delivered different current intensities at diverse stimulation frequencies to the perforant path while recording electrophysiological and blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signals. We observed a linear relationship between the current intensity used to stimulate the hippocampal formation and the amplitude and extension of the induced BOLD response. In addition, we found a frequency-dependent spatial pattern of activation. With stimulation protocols and train frequencies used for kindling, the activity strongly spreads ipsilaterally through the hippocampus, DG, subiculum and EC.     

Comparison of BOLD,diffusion-weighted fMRI and ADC-fMRI for stimulation of the primary visual system with a block paradigm

The blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) effect is extensively used for functional MRI (fMRI) but presents some limitations. Diffusion-weighted fMRI (DfMRI) has been proposed as a method more tightly linked to neuronal activity. This work proposes a protocol of DfMRI acquired for several b-values and diffusion directions that is compared to gradient-echo BOLD (GE-BOLD) and to repeated spin-echo BOLD (SE-BOLD, acquisitions performed with b = 0 s/mm²), which was also used to ensure the reproducibility of the response.A block stimulation paradigm of the primary visual system (V1) was performed in 12 healthy subjects with checkerboard alternations (2 Hz frequency). DfMRI was performed at 3 T with 5 b-values (b = 1500, 1000, 500, 250, 0 s/mm²) with TR/TE = 1004/93 ms, Δ/δ = 45.4 ms/30 ms, and 6 spatial directions for diffusion measures. GE-BOLD was performed with a similar block stimulation design timing. Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC)-fMRI was computed with all b-values used. An identical Z-score level was used for all fMRI modalities for the comparison of volumes of activation. ADC-fMRI and SE-BOLD fMRI activation locations were compared in a voxel-based analysis to a cytoarchitectural probability map of V1.SE-BOLD activation volumes represented only 55% of the GE-BOLD activation volumes (P < 0.0001). DfMRI activation volumes averaged for all b-values acquired represented only 12% of GE-BOLD (P < 0.0001) and only 22% of SE-BOLD activation volumes (P < 0.005). Compared to SE-BOLD-fMRI, ADC-fMRI activations showed fewer pixels outside of V1 and a higher average probability of belonging to V1.DfMRI and ADC-fMRI acquisition at 3 T could be easily post-processed with common neuro-imaging software. DfMRI and ADC-fMRI activation volumes were significantly smaller than those obtained with SE-BOLD. ADC-fMRI activations were more precisely localized in V1 than those of SE-BOLD-fMRI. This validated the increased capability of ADC-fMRI compared to BOLD to enhance the precision of localizing an fMRI activation in the cyto-architectural zone V1, thereby justifying the use of ADC-fMRI for neuro-scientific studies.     

When more means less: a paradox BOLD response in human visual cortex

The predictions of the 'Linear Transfer Model' (LTM) have been tested only by modulating the frequency of the action potentials while keeping the size of the activated neuronal population constant. The LTM states that the blood oxygenation level-dependent contrast (BOLD) signal is directly proportional to the neuronal activity averaged over milliseconds or seconds. We examined the influence on the BOLD response, of manipulating the size of the activated neuronal population while maintaining the electrical discharge activity constant. We performed functional MR measurements on 30 awake, healthy adult volunteers (15 male and 15 female) using a flashed and reversing checkerboard. These stimuli induced the same vascular response and the same increase in the electrical discharge activity but varied in the size of the neuronal population being activated. The BOLD response measured by the extent of activation and the BOLD signal amplitude, was larger for the flashed than to the reversing checkerboard. An assessment of the local deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) concentration indicated that the neuronal activity was lower during the flashed checkerboard than the reversing checkerboard. Because the checkerboard associated with the lower neuronal activity yielded the larger number of activated voxels and the larger BOLD signal, our results run contrary to the predictions of the 'Linear Transfer Model' and for this reason we refer to them as paradoxical. Stimuli defined by luminance contrast or a chromatic contrast yielded identical results. We conclude that the 'LTM' may apply to stimuli that modulate the electrical discharge activity but not to stimuli that modulate the size of the activated neuronal population.     

Temperature dependence of impurity resistivity due to hydrogen in metals

Using a self-consistent calculation, we show that the impurity resistivity of metals containing hydrogen or deuterium decreases as temperature increases. We also predict a significant isotope effect that is largest at O K and vanishes at high temperatures. These effects should be common to all metal-hydrogen systems and could be detected by precision experiments.     

Effects of mild hypoxic hypoxia on poststimulus undershoot of blood-oxygenation-level-dependent fMRI signal in the human visual cortex

Characteristics of the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal poststimulus undershoot in the visual cortex were studied at varying levels of arterial blood oxygen saturation (Ysat). Undershoot with an amplitude of -0.6+/-0.2% appeared after positive BOLD response (+1.7+/-0.5%) under control conditions. Cerebral blood volume (CBV), as determined with vascular-space-occupancy-dependent fMRI, increased by 26-43% during the positive BOLD peak, but the CBV proceeded at baseline level during the BOLD poststimulus undershoot. Mild hypoxic hypoxia (Ysat ranging from 0.82 to 0.89) had no effect on the amplitude or duration of poststimulus undershoot in activated BOLD pixels. Hypoxia did not influence CBV during the BOLD poststimulus undershoot. In contrast, the positive BOLD signal at the level of all activated pixels was smaller in hypoxia than in normoxia. The present results show that the BOLD poststimulus undershoot is not influenced by curtailed oxygen availability and that, during the undershoot, CBV is not different from resting state.     

A cluster-based quantitative procedure in an fMRI study of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a neurological disorder associated with disfunction of dopaminergic pathways of the basal ganglia. In this study, we report the effects of decreasing plasma concentrations of the dopamine-agonist apomorphine on the size and extents of activity clusters observed with functional magnetic resonance imaging during a simple motor task. Eight patients at advanced disease stage and six healthy volunteers were studied during four consecutive sessions. We observed consistent activations in the primary sensorimotor area of the contralateral side and in the supplementary motor area of both patients and controls during the first session. During subsequent sessions, while the drug concentration gradually decreased in patients, they showed a fragmentation of the activity areas, with an overall decrease of involved volume and a decline of activity in the supplementary motor area. The appearing of activity in the ipsilateral motor area matched a partial recovery of supplementary motor area activation. During the last session, when patients showed severe dyskinesia, a widespread region of positive and negative correlations between signal and task was observed. We conclude that the lack of subcortical circuitry is partially reversible by apomorphine and that when the drug effects are reduced, there is a possible mechanism recruitment of alternate subcortical pathways.     

经颅超声刺激人脑海马的数值仿真研究

颞叶癫痫、阿尔兹海默症等神经系统疾病与大脑海马的异常放电相关。近年兴起的经颅超声刺激治疗脑疾病具有无创、能深入脑组织和可调控海马神经元放电的特点。该文基于128阵元相控阵换能器、人头颅CT数据、水体建立超声经颅刺激海马数值仿真模型,数值仿真优选适应于海马刺激的换能器结构参数,并结合电容模型,探究超声声学参数对海马神经元放电的影响。结果表明曲率半径90 mm、开口半径56 mm、阵元半径2.0 mm、频率0.9 MHz的128阵元相控超声换能器可形成适应于刺激人脑海马大小的焦域;且在超声频率为0.9 MHz时对海马神经元放电有较好的抑制作用;在较小的占空比和较低的空间峰值时间平均声强条件下对神经元放电有较好的抑制作用。     

Contact dependence of carrier injection in carbon nanotubes: an ab initio study

We combine ab initio density functional theory with transport calculations to provide a microscopic basis for distinguishing between good and poor metal contacts to nanotubes. Comparing Ti and Pd as examples of different contact metals, we trace back the observed superiority of Pd to the nature of the metal-nanotube hybridization. Based on large scale Landauer transport calculations, we suggest that the optimum metal-nanotube contact combines a weak hybridization with a large contact length between the metal and the nanotube.     

Amplitude-dependency of response of SI cortex to flutter stimulation

Background  

It is established that increasing the amplitude of a flutter stimulus increases its perceived intensity. Although many studies have examined this phenomenon with regard to the responding afferent population, the way in which the intensity of a stimulus is coded in primary somatosensory cortex (SI) remains unclear.     

Temperature dependence of the loss due to rotational magnetic hysteresis in pyrrhotine

A moment method was used to find field dependences of the loss due to rotational magnetic hysteresis in a natural pyrrhotine crystal over the temperature range from –170 to +195 °C. The maximum magnetic field reached 30,000 Oe. An empirical equation was found relating the rotational-hysteresis loss to the magnetic field for various temperatures.Translated from Izvestiya VUZ. Fizika, No. 10, pp. 59–64, October, 1969.