Shmuel_Resting Brain Flashcards
What are the main components of an MRI scanner?
- Main Coil
- RF (radiofrequency) coil → transmit RF energy to the tissue, and secondly to receive the weak nuclear magnetic resonance signals generated by the tissue during a scan
- 3 gradient coils (X, Y, Z) → allow spatial encoding of the MR signal
What are the different physiological changes follow the exposure to a stimulus? (visual for ex)
- Stimulus
- Neuronal Activity
- Change in Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) due to neuron-vascular coupling
What are 3 non-invasive imaging methods for the brain?
Which has the best spatial resolution?
MRI = Magnetic Resonance Imagine (BEST spatial resolution)
PET = Positron emission tomography
NIRS OI = Near-infrared spectroscopy optical imaging
What are 2 methods used for intracellular recordings?
Minority of studies to intracellular recordings to measure transmembrane electrical events
- Intracellular micro-electrode
- Patch clamp
*Need ground/reference electrode in both (always when measure potential)
What type of recordings do the majority of electrophysiology studies use?
What are the concepts behind this?
Extracellular recordings
- A neuron is considered to be embedded in an extracellular medium that acts as a volume conductor (ECM has ions)
- When the membrane potential is different between 2 separate region of a neuron → flow of current in neuron occurs
This flow is matched by return-current through extracellular path
*If some charges move on way, opposit charges move the opposit way to equilibrate (?)
*Extracellular recording is always measured with respect to a distant neutral site (ground)
What are the 2 components of the mean extracellular potential?
*Obtained by adding filter cut-off
- MUA = Multi-Unit Activity > 400Hz
- LFP = Local Field Potentials < 150Hz
- Can further be classified to frequency bands used in EEG → delta (1-4Hz), theta (5-8Hz), alpha (8-13Hz), beta (12-30Hz), Gamma (30-150Hz)
What does the Multi-Unit Activity signal/recording represent?
MUA is the Component of the Mean Extracellular Potential > 400Hz
Single event duration ~ 1ms
Spatial summation radius of 100-200 microns (very small)
Represents:
1. Activity of the projection neurons that form the OUTPUT of a cortical area (Action Potentials)
2. Local intra-cortical processing (very local as ~80% of synapses occur within 1-2mm of the neuron sooma)
What does the Local Field Potential recording represent?
LFP is the Component of the Mean Extracellular Potential < 150Hz
Single event duration ~ 10-100 ms
Spatial summation radius of 1-2 mm (larger than MUA)
Represents:
1. Population Synaptic Potentials (EPSPs, IPSPs)
2. Voltage-gated membrane oscillations
3. INPUT to a given cortical area
3. Local intra-cortical processing (very local as ~80% of synapses occur within 1-2mm of the neuron sooma, excitatory and inhibitory neurons)
What allows us to state that fMRI signal is an indicator of overall activity of very many neurons and processes ?
- Because of the density of neuron in the cerebral cortex → 12x10^4 /mm^3
The voxel of fMRI is 2 x 2 x 2 mm^3 → there is 1 million neuron in each voxel
- Because of the density of synpases in the cerebral cortex → 9x10^8 /mm^3
→ This means 7.2 x 10^9 synpases/ Voxel (of 2x2x2mm3)
What is the voxel used in MRI?
Voxel = measurement of volume in an image
In fMRI → 2x2x2 mm^3 → about 1 million neuron/voxel
What is the BOLD response?
Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent signal
→ It reflects the content of Deoxy-Hb in blood vessels
*measured by MRI signal
What can be direct causes of a change in [Deoxy-Hb]?
Neuronal activity → Hemodynamic response ∆[Deoxy-Hb]
Can be due to:
- ∆ Blood Flow (CBF)
- ∆ Blood Volume (CBV)
- ∆ O2 Consumption (CMRO2)
How is a BOLD signal measured as fMRI signal?
- BOLD is an indirect measure of changes in neuronal activity
- fMRI relies on magnetic properties of hemoglobin → Deoxy-Hb = para-magnetic (weak magnet, acts as contrast agent) vs Oxy-Hb = not magnetic (way too weak)
What is the contrast agent in BOLD functional fMRI?
Deoxy-Hemoglobin → para-magnetic (disrupts the homogeneity of the magnetic field)
- An increase in DeoxyHb → decrease in homogeneity → decrease in BOLD signal
- A decrease in DeoxyHb → increase in homogeneity → increase in BOLD signal
*BOLD = oxygenation level
Where does the BOLD signal originate from?
Originates from cortical blood vessels → control blood flow which affects the content of Deoxy-Hb in the capillaries and veins
Control sites:
1. Smooth muscles (arterioles)
2. Pericytes (processes around small vessels at the arterio-capillary junction)