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Jia K, Goebel R, Kourtzi Z. Ultra-High Field Imaging of Human Visual Cognition. Annu Rev Vis Sci 2023; 9:479-500. [PMID: 37137282 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-vision-111022-123830] [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] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the key methodology for mapping the functions of the human brain in a noninvasive manner, is limited by low temporal and spatial resolution. Recent advances in ultra-high field (UHF) fMRI provide a mesoscopic (i.e., submillimeter resolution) tool that allows us to probe laminar and columnar circuits, distinguish bottom-up versus top-down pathways, and map small subcortical areas. We review recent work demonstrating that UHF fMRI provides a robust methodology for imaging the brain across cortical depths and columns that provides insights into the brain's organization and functions at unprecedented spatial resolution, advancing our understanding of the fine-scale computations and interareal communication that support visual cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Jia
- Department of Neurobiology, Affiliated Mental Health Center & Hangzhou Seventh People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, State Key Laboratory of Brain-machine Intelligence, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom;
| | - Rainer Goebel
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Zoe Kourtzi
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom;
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2
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Spahr ZR, Economides JR, Horton JC. Retinal Input to the Primate Lateral Geniculate Nucleus Revealed by Injection of a Different Label Into Each Eye. J Neuroophthalmol 2022; 42:e596-e597. [PMID: 35483072 PMCID: PMC9642088 DOI: 10.1097/wno.0000000000001472] [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] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT The primate lateral geniculate nucleus has long been a favorite structure among anatomists because of its striking lamination. It has been shown that each lamina receives input from a different eye using various single label techniques but never by double labeling. Here, we illustrate the organization of retinal inputs to the lateral geniculate nucleus by injection of cholera toxin-B conjugated to Alexa Fluor-488 into the right eye and cholera toxin-B conjugated to Alexa Fluor-594 into the left eye.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary R. Spahr
- College of Medicine State University of New York, Upstate Medical University Syracuse, New York 13210
| | - John R. Economides
- Program in Neuroscience Department of Ophthalmology University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA 94143 USA
| | - Jonathan C. Horton
- Program in Neuroscience Department of Ophthalmology University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA 94143 USA
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3
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Liang H, Pan Z, Qian C, Liu C, Sun K, Weng D, An J, Zhuo Y, Wang DJJ, Guo H, Xue R. Multi-echo balanced SSFP with a sequential phase-encoding order for functional MR imaging at 7T. Magn Reson Med 2022; 88:1303-1313. [PMID: 35657055 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.29301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To develop a 2D multi-echo passband balanced SSFP (bSSFP) sequence using an echo-train readout with a sequential phase-encoding order (sequential multi-echo bSSFP), and evaluate its performance in fast functional brain imaging at 7 T. METHODS As images of sequential multi-echo bSSFP exhibit multiple ghosts due to periodic k-space modulations, a GRAPPA-based reconstruction method was proposed to eliminate ghosting artifacts. MRI experiments were performed to compare the image quality of multi-echo bSSFP and conventional single-echo bSSFP. Submillimeter-resolution fMRI using a checkerboard visual stimulus was conducted to compare the activation characteristics of multi-echo bSSFP, conventional single-echo bSSFP and standard gradient-echo EPI (GE-EPI). RESULTS A higher mean structural similarity index was found between images of single-echo bSSFP and multi-echo bSSFP with a shorter echo train length (ETL). Multi-echo bSSFP (ETL = 3) showed higher temporal SNR (tSNR) values than GRAPPA-accelerated single-echo bSSFP (R = 2). In submillimeter-resolution fMRI experiments, multi-echo bSSFP (ETL = 3) approached the imaging speed of GRAPPA-accelerated single-echo bSSFP (R = 2), but without tSNR penalty and reduced activation due to acceleration. The median t-value and the number of significantly activated voxels were comparable between GE-EPI and multi-echo bSSFP (ETL = 3) that provides virtually distortion-free functional images and inherits the activation patterns of conventional bSSFP. CONCLUSION Sequential multi-echo bSSFP (ETL = 3) is suitable for fast fMRI with submillimeter in-plane resolution, and offers an option to accelerate bSSFP imaging without tSNR penalty like parallel imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huilou Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MRI Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ziyi Pan
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Chencan Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MRI Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chengwen Liu
- Medical Psychological Center, the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Kaibao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MRI Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dehe Weng
- Siemens Shenzhen Magnetic Resonance Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Jing An
- Siemens Shenzhen Magnetic Resonance Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Yan Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MRI Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Danny J J Wang
- Laboratory of FMRI Technology (LOFT), Mark & Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Hua Guo
- Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Rong Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MRI Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China
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Kurzawski JW, Lunghi C, Biagi L, Tosetti M, Morrone MC, Binda P. Short-term plasticity in the human visual thalamus. eLife 2022; 11:74565. [PMID: 35384840 PMCID: PMC9020816 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While there is evidence that the visual cortex retains a potential for plasticity in adulthood, less is known about the subcortical stages of visual processing. Here we asked whether short-term ocular dominance plasticity affects the human visual thalamus. We addressed this question in normally sighted adult humans, using ultra-high field (7T) magnetic resonance imaging combined with the paradigm of short-term monocular deprivation. With this approach, we previously demonstrated transient shifts of perceptual eye dominance and ocular dominance in visual cortex (Binda et al., 2018). Here we report evidence for short-term plasticity in the ventral division of the pulvinar (vPulv), where the deprived eye representation was enhanced over the non-deprived eye. This ventral-pulvinar plasticity was similar as previously seen in visual cortex and it was correlated with the ocular dominance shift measured behaviorally. In contrast, there was no effect of monocular deprivation in two adjacent thalamic regions: dorsal pulvinar (dPulv), and Lateral Geniculate Nucleus (LGN). We conclude that the visual thalamus retains potential for short-term plasticity in adulthood; the plasticity effect differs across thalamic subregions, possibly reflecting differences in their cortico-fugal connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claudia Lunghi
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | | | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Wang Y, van Gelderen P, de Zwart JA, Campbell-Washburn AE, Duyn JH. FMRI based on transition-band balanced SSFP in comparison with EPI on a high-performance 0.55 T scanner. Magn Reson Med 2021; 85:3196-3210. [PMID: 33480108 DOI: 10.1002/mrm.28657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Low-field (<1 tesla) MRI scanners allow more widespread diagnostic use for a range of cardiac, musculoskeletal, and neurological applications. However, the feasibility of performing robust fMRI at low field has yet to be fully demonstrated. To address this gap, we investigated task-based fMRI using a highly sensitive transition-band balanced steady-state free precession approach and standard EPI on a 0.55 tesla scanner equipped with modern high-performance gradient coils and a receive array. METHODS TR and flip-angle of transition-band steady-state free precession were optimized for 0.55 tesla by simulations. Static shimming was employed to compensate for concomitant field effects. Visual task-based fMRI data were acquired from 8 healthy volunteers. For comparison, standard EPI data were also acquired with TE = T 2 ∗ . Retrospective image-based correction for physiological effects (RETROICOR) was used to quantify physiological noise effects. RESULTS Activation was robustly detected using both methods in a 4-min scan time. Transition-band steady-state free precession was found to be sensitive to interference from subtle spatial and temporal (field drift, respiration) variations in the magnetic field, counteracting potential advantages of the reduced magnetic susceptibility effects compared to its utilization at high field. These adverse effects could be partially remedied with static shimming and postprocessing approaches. Standard EPI proved more robust against the sources of interference. CONCLUSION BOLD contrast is sufficiently large at 0.55 tesla for robust detection of brain activation and may be employed to broaden the spectrum of applications of low-field MRI. Standard EPI outperforms transition-band steady-state free precession in terms of signal stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yicun Wang
- Advanced MRI Section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Peter van Gelderen
- Advanced MRI Section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jacco A de Zwart
- Advanced MRI Section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Adrienne E Campbell-Washburn
- Cardiovascular Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jeff H Duyn
- Advanced MRI Section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Bollmann S, Barth M. New acquisition techniques and their prospects for the achievable resolution of fMRI. Prog Neurobiol 2020; 207:101936. [PMID: 33130229 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2020.101936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
This work reviews recent advances in technologies for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the human brain and highlights the push for higher functional specificity based on increased spatial resolution and specific MR contrasts to reveal previously undetectable functional properties of small-scale cortical structures. We discuss how the combination of MR hardware, advanced acquisition techniques and various MR contrast mechanisms have enabled recent progress in functional neuroimaging. However, these advanced fMRI practices have only been applied to a handful of neuroscience questions to date, with the majority of the neuroscience community still using conventional imaging techniques. We thus discuss upcoming challenges and possibilities for fMRI technology development in human neuroscience. We hope that readers interested in functional brain imaging acquire an understanding of current and novel developments and potential future applications, even if they don't have a background in MR physics or engineering. We summarize the capabilities of standard fMRI acquisition schemes with pointers to relevant literature and comprehensive reviews and introduce more recent developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Bollmann
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Markus Barth
- Centre for Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; ARC Training Centre for Innovation in Biomedical Imaging Technology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
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Qian Y, Zou J, Zhang Z, An J, Zuo Z, Zhuo Y, Wang DJJ, Zhang P. Robust functional mapping of layer-selective responses in human lateral geniculate nucleus with high-resolution 7T fMRI. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200245. [PMID: 32290803 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus is the major subcortical relay of retinal input to the visual cortex. It plays important roles in visual perception and cognition and is closely related with several eye diseases and brain disorders. Primate LGNs mainly consist of six layers of monocular neurons with distinct cell types and functions. The non-invasive measure of layer-selective activities of the human LGN would have broad scientific and clinical implications. Using high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 7 Tesla (T) and carefully designed visual stimuli, we achieved robust functional mapping of eye-specific and also magnocellular/parvocellular-specific laminar patterns of the human LGN. These laminar patterns were highly reproducible with different pulse sequences scanned on separate days, between different subjects, and were in remarkable consistency with the simulation from high-resolution histology of the human LGNs. These findings clearly demonstrate that 7T fMRI can robustly resolve layer-specific responses of the human LGN. This paves the way for future investigation of the critical roles of the LGN in human visual perception and cognition, as well as the neural mechanisms of many developmental and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yazhu Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinyou Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Zihao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing An
- Digital Department, Siemens Shenzhen Magnetic Resonance Ltd, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhentao Zuo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Danny J J Wang
- Digital Department, Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, People's Republic of China.,College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
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