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Choi S, Hike D, Pohmann R, Avdievich N, Gomez-Cid L, Man W, Scheffler K, Yu X. Alpha-180 spin-echo based line-scanning method for high resolution laminar-specific fMRI. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.05.09.540065. [PMID: 37214920 PMCID: PMC10197646 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.09.540065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Laminar-specific functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been widely used to study circuit-specific neuronal activity by mapping spatiotemporal fMRI response patterns across cortical layers. Hemodynamic responses reflect indirect neuronal activity given limit of spatial and temporal resolution. Previous gradient-echo based line-scanning fMRI (GELINE) method was proposed with high temporal (50 ms) and spatial (50 µm) resolution to better characterize the fMRI onset time across cortical layers by employing 2 saturation RF pulses. However, the imperfect RF saturation performance led to poor boundary definition of the reduced region of interest (ROI) and aliasing problems outside of the ROI. Here, we propose α (alpha)-180 spin-echo-based line-scanning fMRI (SELINE) method to resolve this issue by employing a refocusing 180° RF pulse perpendicular to the excitation slice. In contrast to GELINE signals peaked at the superficial layer, we detected varied peaks of laminar-specific BOLD signals across deeper cortical layers with the SELINE method, indicating the well-defined exclusion of the large drain-vein effect with the spin-echo sequence. Furthermore, we applied the SELINE method with 200 ms TR to sample the fast hemodynamic changes across cortical layers with a less draining vein effect. In summary, this SELINE method provides a novel acquisition scheme to identify microvascular-sensitive laminar-specific BOLD responses across cortical depth.
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Heij J, Raimondo L, Siero JCW, Dumoulin SO, van der Zwaag W, Knapen T. A selection and targeting framework of cortical locations for line-scanning fMRI. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:5471-5484. [PMID: 37608563 PMCID: PMC10543358 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Depth-resolved functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an emerging field growing in popularity given the potential of separating signals from different computational processes in cerebral cortex. Conventional acquisition schemes suffer from low spatial and temporal resolutions. Line-scanning methods allow depth-resolved fMRI by sacrificing spatial coverage to sample blood oxygenated level-dependent (BOLD) responses at ultra-high temporal and spatial resolution. For neuroscience applications, it is critical to be able to place the line accurately to (1) sample the right neural population and (2) target that neural population with tailored stimuli or tasks. To this end, we devised a multi-session framework where a target cortical location is selected based on anatomical and functional properties. The line is then positioned according to this information in a separate second session, and we tailor the experiment to focus on the target location. Anatomically, the precision of the line placement was confirmed by projecting a nominal representation of the acquired line back onto the surface. Functional estimates of neural selectivities in the line, as quantified by a visual population-receptive field model, resembled the target selectivities well for most subjects. This functional precision was quantified in detail by estimating the distance between the visual field location of the targeted vertex and the location in visual cortex (V1) that most closely resembled the line-scanning estimates; this distance was on average ~5.5 mm. Given the dimensions of the line, differences in acquisition, session, and stimulus design, this validates that line-scanning can be used to probe local neural sensitivities across sessions. In summary, we present an accurate framework for line-scanning MRI; we believe such a framework is required to harness the full potential of line-scanning and maximize its utility. Furthermore, this approach bridges canonical fMRI experiments with electrophysiological experiments, which in turn allows novel avenues for studying human physiology non-invasively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurjen Heij
- Spinoza Centre for NeuroimagingAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and NeuroimagingNetherlands Institute for NeuroscienceAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Experimental and Applied PsychologyVU UniversityAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Luisa Raimondo
- Spinoza Centre for NeuroimagingAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and NeuroimagingNetherlands Institute for NeuroscienceAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Experimental and Applied PsychologyVU UniversityAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Jeroen C. W. Siero
- Spinoza Centre for NeuroimagingAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and NeuroimagingNetherlands Institute for NeuroscienceAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of RadiologyUniversity Medical Center UtrechtUtrechtthe Netherlands
| | - Serge O. Dumoulin
- Spinoza Centre for NeuroimagingAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and NeuroimagingNetherlands Institute for NeuroscienceAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Experimental and Applied PsychologyVU UniversityAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Experimental PsychologyUtrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Wietske van der Zwaag
- Spinoza Centre for NeuroimagingAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and NeuroimagingNetherlands Institute for NeuroscienceAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Tomas Knapen
- Spinoza Centre for NeuroimagingAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and NeuroimagingNetherlands Institute for NeuroscienceAmsterdamNetherlands
- Department of Experimental and Applied PsychologyVU UniversityAmsterdamNetherlands
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Raimondo L, Priovoulos N, Passarinho C, Heij J, Knapen T, Dumoulin SO, Siero JCW, van der Zwaag W. Robust high spatio-temporal line-scanning fMRI in humans at 7T using multi-echo readouts, denoising and prospective motion correction. J Neurosci Methods 2023; 384:109746. [PMID: 36403778 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), typically using blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast weighted imaging, allows the study of brain function with millimeter spatial resolution and temporal resolution of one to a few seconds. At a mesoscopic scale, neurons in the human brain are spatially organized in structures with dimensions of hundreds of micrometers, while they communicate at the millisecond timescale. For this reason, it is important to develop an fMRI method with simultaneous high spatial and temporal resolution. Line-scanning promises to reach this goal at the cost of volume coverage. NEW METHOD Here, we release a comprehensive update to human line-scanning fMRI. First, we investigated multi-echo line-scanning with five different protocols varying the number of echoes and readout bandwidth while keeping the TR constant. In these, we compared different echo combination approaches in terms of BOLD activation (sensitivity) and temporal signal-to-noise ratio. Second, we implemented an adaptation of NOise reduction with DIstribution Corrected principal component analysis (NORDIC) thermal noise removal for line-scanning fMRI data. Finally, we tested three image-based navigators for motion correction and investigated different ways of performing fMRI analysis on the timecourses which were influenced by the insertion of the navigators themselves. RESULTS The presented improvements are relatively straightforward to implement; multi-echo readout and NORDIC denoising together, significantly improve data quality in terms of tSNR and t-statistical values, while motion correction makes line-scanning fMRI more robust. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS Multi-echo acquisitions and denoising have previously been applied in 3D magnetic resonance imaging. Their combination and application to 1D line-scanning is novel. The current proposed method greatly outperforms the previous line-scanning acquisitions with single-echo acquisition, in terms of tSNR (4.0 for single-echo line-scanning and 36.2 for NORDIC-denoised multi-echo) and t-statistical values (3.8 for single-echo line-scanning and 25.1 for NORDIC-denoised multi-echo line-scanning). CONCLUSIONS Line-scanning fMRI was advanced compared to its previous implementation in order to improve sensitivity and reliability. The improved line-scanning acquisition could be used, in the future, for neuroscientific and clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Raimondo
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, 1105 BK Amsterdam, Netherlands; Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, Netherlands; Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU University, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Nikos Priovoulos
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, 1105 BK Amsterdam, Netherlands; Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Catarina Passarinho
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, 1105 BK Amsterdam, Netherlands; Institute for Systems and Robotics, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Jurjen Heij
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, 1105 BK Amsterdam, Netherlands; Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, Netherlands; Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU University, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Tomas Knapen
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, 1105 BK Amsterdam, Netherlands; Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, Netherlands; Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU University, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands.
| | - Serge O Dumoulin
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, 1105 BK Amsterdam, Netherlands; Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, Netherlands; Experimental Psychology, Utrecht University, PO Box 80125, 3508 TC Utrecht, Netherlands.
| | - Jeroen C W Siero
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, 1105 BK Amsterdam, Netherlands; Radiology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, Netherlands.
| | - Wietske van der Zwaag
- Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Meibergdreef 75, 1105 BK Amsterdam, Netherlands; Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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