Functional MRI investigation of spinal cord resting-state networks and their physiological relevance

脊髓静息态网络的功能性 MRI 研究及其生理相关性

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-06777
• 负责人: Stroman, Patrick
• 金额: $ 2.91万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=718086
• 关键词: Functional; MRI; investigation; spinal; cord

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of the resting-state have provided a wealth of information about cortical function, and research in my lab has extended this capability to the brainstem (BS) and spinal cord (SC). Resting-state fMRI studies refer to coordinated blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) responses that occur when no task or stimulus is applied, and therefore the neural activity corresponds with internally-directed cognition. My lab has obtained evidence that coordinated signaling in the SC, in the resting-state, is likely related to descending regulation of SC excitability, via the BS. The concept of resting-state coordination thus extends to the entire central nervous system, and to functions other than cognition. Research in my lab to date has demonstrated the primary sources of physiological noise in fMRI data, their relative contributions, and how to reduce/remove them. This enabled us to confirm that there is extensive coordination within and across BS and SC regions in the resting-state, and to begin to investigate how this coordination is altered by cognitive processes. The proposed research has the goals of 1) furthering our understanding of human SC neurophysiology and how function is regulated on a continuous basis, and 2) developing analysis tools for identifying and studying this regulation. The specific objectives are: Objective 1: Characterize the consistent networks of coordinated signaling in the resting-state across the BS and SC, in terms of regions and connections, rates of occurrence, and connection strengths. Objective 2: Identify variations in rs-networks across healthy people, and the relationships between resting-state connectivity and various functions (based on prior research), including; 1) pain sensitivity, 2) motor activity related to cardiac and respiratory function, 3) autonomic regulation. Objective 3: Develop and validate software tools for analysis and visualization of results for resting-state analyses in the BS and SC. The proposed research will provide a wealth of training opportunities for approximately 6 graduate students, as well as undergraduate thesis projects, and will contribute to our overall understanding of BS and SC function in healthy humans. It will also improve the tools we have available to do this research. It is expected that an understanding of these networks/systems and their continuous regulation will support future research into better understanding the effects of a wide variety of diseases and effects of injuries. Continuous resting-state function may be central to maintaining homeostasis of a number of systems and therefore may be a very important feature of our physiology. The proposed research thus has the potential for significant impact on our understanding of all functions that involve the brainstem and spinal cord.

静息状态的功能磁共振成像 (fMRI) 研究提供了有关皮质功能的大量信息，我实验室的研究已将这种功能扩展到脑干 (BS) 和脊髓 (SC)。静息态功能磁共振成像研究是指在不施加任何任务或刺激时发生的协调血氧水平依赖性（BOLD）反应，因此神经活动与内部定向认知相对应。我的实验室获得的证据表明，在静息状态下，SC 的协调信号传导可能与通过 BS 对 SC 兴奋性的下降调节有关。因此，静息态协调的概念扩展到整个中枢神经系统以及认知以外的功能。 迄今为止，我实验室的研究已经证明了功能磁共振成像数据中生理噪声的主要来源、它们的相对贡献以及如何减少/消除它们。这使我们能够确认在静息状态下 BS 和 SC 区域内部和之间存在广泛的协调，并开始研究认知过程如何改变这种协调。 拟议研究的目标是 1) 加深我们对人类 SC 神经生理学以及功能如何持续调节的理解，2) 开发用于识别和研究这种调节的分析工具。具体目标是： 目标 1：从区域和连接、发生率和连接强度方面描述 BS 和 SC 之间静息状态下协调信号一致网络的特征。 目标 2：确定健康人 rs 网络的差异，以及静息状态连接与各种功能之间的关系（基于先前的研究），包括： 1) 疼痛敏感性，2) 与心脏和呼吸功能相关的运动活动，3) 自主调节。 目标 3：开发并验证用于 BS 和 SC 静息态分析结果分析和可视化的软件工具。 拟议的研究将为大约 6 名研究生以及本科生论文项目提供丰富的培训机会，并将有助于我们对健康人类的 BS 和 SC 功能的整体理解。它还将改进我们可用于进行这项研究的工具。预计对这些网络/系统及其持续调节的了解将支持未来的研究，以更好地了解各种疾病的影响和伤害的影响。持续的静息态功能可能是维持许多系统稳态的核心，因此可能是我们生理学的一个非常重要的特征。因此，拟议的研究有可能对我们对涉及脑干和脊髓的所有功能的理解产生重大影响。