Unlocking whole brain, layer-specific functional connectivity with 3D VAPER fMRI

通过 3D VAPER fMRI 解锁全脑、特定层的功能连接

• 批准号: 10643636
• 负责人: Yuhui Chai
• 金额: $ 7.93万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-04-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10643636
• 关键词: 3-Dimensional; Address; Adopted; Anatomy; Animals; Area; Behavior; Blood; Blood Volume; Brain; Clinical; Code; Data; Data Set; Development; Dimensions; Disease; Experimental Designs; Functional Imaging; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Goals; Health; Hour; Human; Image; Imaging Techniques; Investigation; Label; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Maintenance; Maps; Measurement; Measures; Methods; Microscopic; Neurosciences; Performance; Physiologic pulse; Play; Preparation; Protons; Research; Resolution; Rest; Role; Sampling; Sensitivity and Specificity; Signal Transduction; Specificity; Techniques; Training; Veins; Visual; Water; analysis pipeline; blood perfusion; clinical development; connectome data; data sharing; design; experimental study; extracellular; flexibility; high resolution imaging; human imaging; imaging modality; improved; in vivo; meter; millimeter; movie; technology development; tool; user-friendly

ABSTRACT The increased availability of ultra-high field scanners provides an opportunity to perform fMRI at sub-millimeter spatial scales and enables in vivo probing of laminar function in the human brain. Investigations at this new mesoscopic spatial scale in neuroscience not only advance our understanding of the cortical micro-circuitry in vivo in health and disease, but also help bridge the gap between macroscopic (e.g., conventional fMRI, behavior) and microscopic (e.g., extracellular recordings) measures of brain function. However, despite promising potentials, critical barriers remain in achieving adequate sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, coverage at this scale. Until recently, most layer-fMRI studies have been confined to one of the primary cortices using a task design with a small brain coverage together with macro-vascular-contaminated sequence contrasts for functional measurement and defining cortical layers roughly based on distortion mis-matched anatomical reference. In this project proposal, we will develop a whole-brain layer-specific imaging sequence tool in humans, for achieving fMRI at high resolution (£800 µm isotropic), high specificity (not being spatially biased with unspecific vein signals as in BOLD), high sensitivity (robust measurement at layer-level resolution), high spatial accuracy (layer fMRI analysis in native fMRI space to avoid blurring and errors arising from registration), whole brain coverage, and eventually extending layer fMRI to more flexible connectivity-based experiment designs. We will adapt two sequence methods, one is an integrated blood volume and perfusion (VAPER) contrast method to improve layer fMRI specificity, and the other is a magnetization transfer (MT) weighted anatomical EPI imaging technique to facilitate determination of cortical depth in native fMRI space. We will improve the pulse design of the VAPER/MT preparation and incorporate them with a skipped-CAIPI 3D-EPI (segmented acquisition with CAIPIRINHA sampling) acquisition, as a new method we will call VAPER/MT-3D-EPI. We will develop the sequence and optimize its design for a whole-brain 0.8-mm isotropic imaging, and demonstrate its sensitivity and specificity through measuring layer-dependent activity. We will use this new sequence to collect a whole- brain submillimeter functional image dataset in humans at both resting state and during movie-watching, establish the layer-specific functional connectivity analysis pipeline, and investigate the involvement of different cortical layers in the maintenance of the brain networks. We will publicly share the data and analysis code to facilitate development of layer fMRI methods and demonstrate VAPER/MT-3D-EPI as a user-friendly layer fMRI tool for network neuroscience.

抽象的 超高现场扫描仪的可用性增加提供了一个在亚毫米级执行fMRI的机会 空间尺度并实现人脑中层流功能的体内探测。这个新的调查 神经科学中的介观空间量表不仅可以提高我们对皮质微环路的理解 健康和疾病中的体内，但也有助于弥合宏观（例如常规fMRI，行为）之间的差距 和显微镜（例如，细胞外记录）脑功能的测量。但是，dospite承诺 潜力，关键障碍仍然保持在此规模上达到足够的灵敏度，特异性，准确性，覆盖范围。 直到最近，大多数FLOMRI研究都使用任务设计仅限于主要皮层 大脑覆盖范围很小，与宏 - 血管污染的序列形成鲜明对比 根据失真匹配的解剖参考，大致测量和定义皮质层。 在此项目建议中，我们将在人类中开发一个全脑层特异性成像序列工具，用于 以高分辨率（800 µm各向同性）实现fMRI，高特异性（没有空间偏向未指定的 静脉信号与粗体一样），高灵敏度（在层级分辨率下进行稳健测量），高空间精度 （在天然fMRI空间中的fMRI层分析，以避免模糊和由注册引起的错误），整个大脑 覆盖范围，并最终将flay flay formri扩展到更灵活的基于连接性的实验设计。我们将 适应两种序列方法，一种是一种综合的血容量和灌注（Vaper）对比方法 提高fMRI层特异性，另一个是磁化转移（MT）加权解剖EPI成像 促进天然fMRI空间中皮质深度的技术。我们将改进脉搏设计 Vaper/MT准备，并将它们与跳过的Caipi 3D-EPI合并（与 Caipirinha采样）采集，作为一种新方法，我们将称为Vaper/MT-3D-EPI。我们将发展 序列并优化其针对全脑0.8毫米各向同性成像的设计，并证明其灵敏度 和通过测量层依赖性活动的特异性。我们将使用这个新序列来收集整个 脑部的大脑缩写功能图像数据集在人类的静止状态和电影观看期间， 建立特定层的功能连接分析管道，并研究不同的参与 维持大脑网络的皮质层。我们将公开共享数据和分析代码 促进FMRI层方法的开发，并演示Vaper/MT-3D-EPI作为用户友好层fMRI 网络神经科学的工具。