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Zhong Z, Yao L, Liu YZ, Wang Y, He M, Sun MM, Huang HP, Ma SQ, Zheng HZ, Li MY, Zhang XY, Cong DY, Wang HF. Objectivization study of acupuncture Deqi and brain modulation mechanisms: a review. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1386108. [PMID: 38765671 PMCID: PMC11099230 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1386108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Deqi is an important prerequisite for acupuncture to achieve optimal efficacy. Chinese medicine has long been concerned with the relationship between Deqi and the clinical efficacy of acupuncture. However, the underlying mechanisms of Deqi are complex and there is a lack of systematic summaries of objective quantitative studies of Deqi. Acupuncture Deqi can achieve the purpose of treating diseases by regulating the interaction of local and neighboring acupoints, brain centers, and target organs. At local and neighboring acupoints, Deqi can change their tissue structure, temperature, blood perfusion, energy metabolism, and electrophysiological indicators. At the central brain level, Deqi can activate the brain regions of the thalamus, parahippocampal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, insular, middle temporal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, etc. It also has extensive effects on the limbic-paralimbic-neocortical-network and default mode network. The brain mechanisms of Deqi vary depending on the acupuncture techniques and points chosen. In addition, Deqi 's mechanism of action involves correcting abnormalities in target organs. The mechanisms of acupuncture Deqi are multi-targeted and multi-layered. The biological mechanisms of Deqi are closely related to brain centers. This study will help to explore the mechanism of Deqi from a local-central-target-organ perspective and provide information for future clinical decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Zhong
- College of Acupuncture and Massage, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Lin Yao
- Institute of Acupuncture and Massage, Northeast Asian Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Yan-Ze Liu
- Acupuncture and Tuina Center, The 3rd Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
| | - Yu Wang
- College of Acupuncture and Massage, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Min He
- Institute of Acupuncture and Massage, Northeast Asian Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Meng-Meng Sun
- Institute of Acupuncture and Massage, Northeast Asian Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Hai-Peng Huang
- Northeast Asian Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
| | - Shi-Qi Ma
- College of Acupuncture and Massage, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Hai-Zhu Zheng
- College of Acupuncture and Massage, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Meng-Yuan Li
- Institute of Acupuncture and Massage, Northeast Asian Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Xin-Yu Zhang
- College of Acupuncture and Massage, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - De-Yu Cong
- Department of Tuina, Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Jilin Province, Changchun, China
| | - Hong-Feng Wang
- Institute of Acupuncture and Massage, Northeast Asian Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, Jilin, China
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2
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Gil R, Valente M, Shemesh N. Rat superior colliculus encodes the transition between static and dynamic vision modes. Nat Commun 2024; 15:849. [PMID: 38346973 PMCID: PMC10861507 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-44934-8] [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: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The visual continuity illusion involves a shift in visual perception from static to dynamic vision modes when the stimuli arrive at high temporal frequency, and is critical for recognizing objects moving in the environment. However, how this illusion is encoded across the visual pathway remains poorly understood, with disparate frequency thresholds at retinal, cortical, and behavioural levels suggesting the involvement of other brain areas. Here, we employ a multimodal approach encompassing behaviour, whole-brain functional MRI, and electrophysiological measurements, for investigating the encoding of the continuity illusion in rats. Behavioural experiments report a frequency threshold of 18±2 Hz. Functional MRI reveal that superior colliculus signals transition from positive to negative at the behaviourally-driven threshold, unlike thalamic and cortical areas. Electrophysiological recordings indicate that these transitions are underpinned by neural activation/suppression. Lesions in the primary visual cortex reveal this effect to be intrinsic to the superior colliculus (under a cortical gain effect). Our findings highlight the superior colliculus' crucial involvement in encoding temporal frequency shifts, especially the change from static to dynamic vision modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Gil
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mafalda Valente
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Noam Shemesh
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal.
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3
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Suzuki H, Takeda H, Takuwa H, Ji B, Higuchi M, Kanno I, Masamoto K. Capillary responses to functional and pathological activations rely on the capillary states at rest. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2023; 43:1010-1024. [PMID: 36752020 PMCID: PMC10196750 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x231156372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Brain capillaries play a crucial role in maintaining cellular viability and thus preventing neurodegeneration. The aim of this study was to characterize the brain capillary morphology at rest and during neural activation based on a big data analysis from three-dimensional microangiography. Neurovascular responses were measured using a genetic calcium sensor expressed in neurons and microangiography with two-photon microscopy, while neural acivity was modulated by stimulation of contralateral whiskers or by a seizure evoked by kainic acid. For whisker stimulation, 84% of the capillary sites showed no detectable diameter change. The remaining 10% and 6% were dilated and constricted, respectively. Significant differences were observed for capillaries in the diameter at rest between the locations of dilation and constriction. Even the seizures resulted in 44% of the capillaries having no detectable change in diameter, while 56% of the capillaries dilated. The extent of dilation was dependent on the diameter at rest. In conclusion, big data analysis on brain capillary morphology has identified at least two types of capillary states: capillaries with diameters that are relatively large at rest and stable over time regardless of neural activity and capillaries whose diameters are relatively small at rest and vary according to neural activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Suzuki
- Graduate School of
Informatics and Engineering, University of Electro-Communications,
Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Takeda
- Graduate School of
Informatics and Engineering, University of Electro-Communications,
Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Takuwa
- Department of Functional
Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology,
Chiba, Japan
| | - Bin Ji
- Department of Functional
Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology,
Chiba, Japan
- Department of Radiopharmacy
and Molecular Imaging, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai,
China
| | - Makoto Higuchi
- Department of Functional
Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology,
Chiba, Japan
| | - Iwao Kanno
- Department of Functional
Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology,
Chiba, Japan
| | - Kazuto Masamoto
- Graduate School of
Informatics and Engineering, University of Electro-Communications,
Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Functional
Brain Imaging, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology,
Chiba, Japan
- Center for Neuroscience and
Biomedical Engineering, University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo,
Japan
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4
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Niizawa T, Sakuraba R, Kusaka T, Kurihara Y, Sugashi T, Kawaguchi H, Kanno I, Masamoto K. Spatiotemporal analysis of blood plasma and blood cell flow fluctuations of cerebral microcirculation in anesthetized rats. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2023; 43:138-152. [PMID: 36138557 PMCID: PMC9875347 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x221125743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Cerebral hemodynamics fluctuates spontaneously over broad frequency ranges. However, its spatiotemporal coherence of flow oscillations in cerebral microcirculation remains incompletely understood. The objective of this study was to characterize the spatiotemporal fluctuations of red blood cells (RBCs) and plasma flow in the rat cerebral microcirculation by simultaneously imaging their dynamic behaviors. Comparisons of changes in cross-section diameters between RBC and plasma flow showed dissociations in penetrating arterioles. The results indicate that vasomotion has the least effect on the lateral movement of circulating RBCs, resulting in variable changes in plasma layer thickness. Parenchymal capillaries exhibited slow fluctuations in RBC velocity (0.1 to 0.3 Hz), regardless of capillary diameter fluctuations (<0.1 Hz). Temporal fluctuations and the velocity of RBCs decreased significantly at divergent capillary bifurcations. The results indicate that a transit of RBCs generates flow resistance in the capillaries and that slow velocity fluctuations of the RBCs are subject to a number of bifurcations. In conclusion, the high-frequency oscillation of the blood flow is filtered at the bifurcation through the capillary networks. Therefore, a number of bifurcations in the cerebral microcirculation may contribute to the power of low-frequency oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoya Niizawa
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, University of
Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ruka Sakuraba
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, University of
Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomoya Kusaka
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, University of
Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuika Kurihara
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, University of
Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takuma Sugashi
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, University of
Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
- Center for Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering,
University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kawaguchi
- Human Informatics and Interaction Research Institute,
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
(AIST), Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Iwao Kanno
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging Research,
National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba, Japan
| | - Kazuto Masamoto
- Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, University of
Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
- Center for Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering,
University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Functional Brain Imaging Research,
National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba, Japan
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Pais-Roldán P, Yun SD, Shah NJ. Pre-processing of Sub-millimeter GE-BOLD fMRI Data for Laminar Applications. FRONTIERS IN NEUROIMAGING 2022; 1:869454. [PMID: 37555171 PMCID: PMC10406219 DOI: 10.3389/fnimg.2022.869454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 30 years, brain function has primarily been evaluated non-invasively using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with gradient-echo (GE) sequences to measure blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals. Despite the multiple advantages of GE sequences, e.g., higher signal-to-noise ratio, faster acquisitions, etc., their relatively inferior spatial localization compromises the routine use of GE-BOLD in laminar applications. Here, in an attempt to rescue the benefits of GE sequences, we evaluated the effect of existing pre-processing methods on the spatial localization of signals obtained with EPIK, a GE sequence that affords voxel volumes of 0.25 mm3 with near whole-brain coverage. The methods assessed here apply to both task and resting-state fMRI data assuming the availability of reconstructed magnitude and phase images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Pais-Roldán
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, Medical Imaging Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Seong Dae Yun
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, Medical Imaging Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - N. Jon Shah
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 4, Medical Imaging Physics, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine 11, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Jlich Aachen Research Alliance, Brain - Translational Medicine, Aachen, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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Dissection of brain-wide resting-state and functional somatosensory circuits by fMRI with optogenetic silencing. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2113313119. [PMID: 35042795 PMCID: PMC8795561 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2113313119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To further advance functional MRI (fMRI)-based brain science, it is critical to dissect fMRI activity at the circuit level. To achieve this goal, we combined brain-wide fMRI with neuronal silencing in well-defined regions. Since focal inactivation suppresses excitatory output to downstream pathways, intact input and suppressed output circuits can be separated. Highly specific cerebral blood volume-weighted fMRI was performed with optogenetic stimulation of local GABAergic neurons in mouse somatosensory regions. Brain-wide spontaneous somatosensory networks were found mostly in ipsilateral cortical and subcortical areas, which differed from the bilateral homotopic connections commonly observed in resting-state fMRI data. The evoked fMRI responses to somatosensory stimulation in regions of the somatosensory network were successfully dissected, allowing the relative contributions of spinothalamic (ST), thalamocortical (TC), corticothalamic (CT), corticocortical (CC) inputs, and local intracortical circuits to be determined. The ventral posterior thalamic nucleus receives ST inputs, while the posterior medial thalamic nucleus receives CT inputs from the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) with TC inputs. The secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) receives mostly direct CC inputs from S1 and a few TC inputs from the ventral posterolateral nucleus. The TC and CC input layers in cortical regions were identified by laminar-specific fMRI responses with a full width at half maximum of <150 µm. Long-range synaptic inputs in cortical areas were amplified approximately twofold by local intracortical circuits, which is consistent with electrophysiological recordings. Overall, whole-brain fMRI with optogenetic inactivation revealed brain-wide, population-based, long-range circuits, which could complement data typically collected in conventional microscopic functional circuit studies.
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de Zwart JA, van Gelderen P, Duyn JH. Sensitivity limitations of high-resolution perfusion-based human fMRI at 7 Tesla. Magn Reson Imaging 2021; 84:135-144. [PMID: 34624401 DOI: 10.1016/j.mri.2021.09.014] [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: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The study of the brain's functional organization at laminar and columnar level of the cortex with blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) is affected by the contribution of large veins downstream from the microvascular response to brain activity. Blood volume- and especially perfusion-based techniques may reduce this problem because of their reduced sensitivity to venous effects, but may not allow the same spatial resolution because of smaller signal changes associated with brain activity. Here we investigated the practical resolution limits of perfusion-weighted fMRI in human visual stimulation experiments. For this purpose, we used a highly sensitive, single-shot perfusion labeling (SSPL) technique at 7 T and compared sensitivity to detect visual activation at low (2 mm, n = 10) and high (1 mm, n = 8) nominal isotropic spatial, and 3 s temporal, resolution with BOLD in 5½-minute-long experiments. Despite the smaller absolute signal change with activation, 2 mm resolution SSPL yielded comparable sensitivity to BOLD. This was attributed to a superior suppression of physiological noise with SSPL. However, at 1 mm nominal resolution, SSPL sensitivity fell on average at least 42% below that of BOLD, and detection of visual activation was compromised. This is explained by the fact that at high resolution, with both techniques, typically thermal noise rather than physiological noise dominates sensitivity. The observed sensitivity loss implies that to perform 1-mm resolution, perfusion weighted fMRI with a robustness similar to BOLD, scan times that are almost 3 times longer than the comparable BOLD experiment are required. This is in line with or slightly better than previous comparisons between perfusion-weighted fMRI and BOLD. The lower sensitivity has to be weighed against the spatial fidelity advantages of high-resolution perfusion-weighted fMRI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacco A de Zwart
- Advanced MRI section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Peter van Gelderen
- Advanced MRI section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jeff H Duyn
- Advanced MRI section, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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8
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Imaging faster neural dynamics with fast fMRI: A need for updated models of the hemodynamic response. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 207:102174. [PMID: 34525404 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Fast fMRI enables the detection of neural dynamics over timescales of hundreds of milliseconds, suggesting it may provide a new avenue for studying subsecond neural processes in the human brain. The magnitudes of these fast fMRI dynamics are far greater than predicted by canonical models of the hemodynamic response. Several studies have established nonlinear properties of the hemodynamic response that have significant implications for fast fMRI. We first review nonlinear properties of the hemodynamic response function that may underlie fast fMRI signals. We then illustrate the breakdown of canonical hemodynamic response models in the context of fast neural dynamics. We will then argue that the canonical hemodynamic response function is not likely to reflect the BOLD response to neuronal activity driven by sparse or naturalistic stimuli or perhaps to spontaneous neuronal fluctuations in the resting state. These properties suggest that fast fMRI is capable of tracking surprisingly fast neuronal dynamics, and we discuss the neuroscientific questions that could be addressed using this approach.
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Mishra A, Hall CN, Howarth C, Freeman RD. Key relationships between non-invasive functional neuroimaging and the underlying neuronal activity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 376:20190622. [PMID: 33190600 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional neuroimaging using MRI relies on measurements of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals from which inferences are made about the underlying neuronal activity. This is possible because neuronal activity elicits increases in blood flow via neurovascular coupling, which gives rise to the BOLD signal. Hence, an accurate interpretation of what BOLD signals mean in terms of neural activity depends on a full understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the measured signal, including neurovascular and neurometabolic coupling, the contribution of different cell types to local signalling, and regional differences in these mechanisms. Furthermore, the contributions of systemic functions to cerebral blood flow may vary with ageing, disease and arousal states, with regard to both neuronal and vascular function. In addition, recent developments in non-invasive imaging technology, such as high-field fMRI, and comparative inter-species analysis, allow connections between non-invasive data and mechanistic knowledge gained from invasive cellular-level studies. Considered together, these factors have immense potential to improve BOLD signal interpretation and bring us closer to the ultimate purpose of decoding the mechanisms of human cognition. This theme issue covers a range of recent advances in these topics, providing a multidisciplinary scientific and technical framework for future work in the neurovascular and cognitive sciences. This article is part of the theme issue 'Key relationships between non-invasive functional neuroimaging and the underlying neuronal activity'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anusha Mishra
- Department of Neurology, Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research, and Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Catherine N Hall
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
| | - Clare Howarth
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 2LT, UK
| | - Ralph D Freeman
- School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RH, UK
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