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Mandino F, Cerri DH, Garin CM, Straathof M, van Tilborg GAF, Chakravarty MM, Dhenain M, Dijkhuizen RM, Gozzi A, Hess A, Keilholz SD, Lerch JP, Shih YYI, Grandjean J. Animal Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Trends and Path Toward Standardization. Front Neuroinform 2020; 13:78. [PMID: 32038217 PMCID: PMC6987455 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2019.00078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal whole-brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides a non-invasive window into brain activity. A collection of associated methods aims to replicate observations made in humans and to identify the mechanisms underlying the distributed neuronal activity in the healthy and disordered brain. Animal fMRI studies have developed rapidly over the past years, fueled by the development of resting-state fMRI connectivity and genetically encoded neuromodulatory tools. Yet, comparisons between sites remain hampered by lack of standardization. Recently, we highlighted that mouse resting-state functional connectivity converges across centers, although large discrepancies in sensitivity and specificity remained. Here, we explore past and present trends within the animal fMRI community and highlight critical aspects in study design, data acquisition, and post-processing operations, that may affect the results and influence the comparability between studies. We also suggest practices aimed to promote the adoption of standards within the community and improve between-lab reproducibility. The implementation of standardized animal neuroimaging protocols will facilitate animal population imaging efforts as well as meta-analysis and replication studies, the gold standards in evidence-based science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Mandino
- Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Domenic H. Cerri
- Center for Animal MRI, Department of Neurology, Biomedical Research Imaging Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Clement M. Garin
- Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale, MIRCen, Institut de Biologie François Jacob, Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 9199, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Milou Straathof
- Biomedical MR Imaging and Spectroscopy Group, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Geralda A. F. van Tilborg
- Biomedical MR Imaging and Spectroscopy Group, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - M. Mallar Chakravarty
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Engineering, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Marc Dhenain
- Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale, MIRCen, Institut de Biologie François Jacob, Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
- Neurodegenerative Diseases Laboratory, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 9199, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Rick M. Dijkhuizen
- Biomedical MR Imaging and Spectroscopy Group, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Alessandro Gozzi
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Centre for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @ UNITN, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Andreas Hess
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Friedrich–Alexander University Erlangen–Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Shella D. Keilholz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jason P. Lerch
- Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative NeuroImaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Yen-Yu Ian Shih
- Center for Animal MRI, Department of Neurology, Biomedical Research Imaging Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Joanes Grandjean
- Singapore Bioimaging Consortium, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Donders Institute, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
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Jonckers E, Shah D, Hamaide J, Verhoye M, Van der Linden A. The power of using functional fMRI on small rodents to study brain pharmacology and disease. Front Pharmacol 2015; 6:231. [PMID: 26539115 PMCID: PMC4612660 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2015.00231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an excellent tool to study the effect of pharmacological modulations on brain function in a non-invasive and longitudinal manner. We introduce several blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI techniques, including resting state (rsfMRI), stimulus-evoked (st-fMRI), and pharmacological MRI (phMRI). Respectively, these techniques permit the assessment of functional connectivity during rest as well as brain activation triggered by sensory stimulation and/or a pharmacological challenge. The first part of this review describes the physiological basis of BOLD fMRI and the hemodynamic response on which the MRI contrast is based. Specific emphasis goes to possible effects of anesthesia and the animal’s physiological conditions on neural activity and the hemodynamic response. The second part of this review describes applications of the aforementioned techniques in pharmacologically induced, as well as in traumatic and transgenic disease models and illustrates how multiple fMRI methods can be applied successfully to evaluate different aspects of a specific disorder. For example, fMRI techniques can be used to pinpoint the neural substrate of a disease beyond previously defined hypothesis-driven regions-of-interest. In addition, fMRI techniques allow one to dissect how specific modifications (e.g., treatment, lesion etc.) modulate the functioning of specific brain areas (st-fMRI, phMRI) and how functional connectivity (rsfMRI) between several brain regions is affected, both in acute and extended time frames. Furthermore, fMRI techniques can be used to assess/explore the efficacy of novel treatments in depth, both in fundamental research as well as in preclinical settings. In conclusion, by describing several exemplary studies, we aim to highlight the advantages of functional MRI in exploring the acute and long-term effects of pharmacological substances and/or pathology on brain functioning along with several methodological considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Jonckers
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Disha Shah
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Julie Hamaide
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marleen Verhoye
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annemie Van der Linden
- Bio-Imaging Lab, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp Antwerp, Belgium
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Scharinger C, Rabl U, Kasess CH, Meyer BM, Hofmaier T, Diers K, Bartova L, Pail G, Huf W, Uzelac Z, Hartinger B, Kalcher K, Perkmann T, Haslacher H, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Kasper S, Freissmuth M, Windischberger C, Willeit M, Lanzenberger R, Esterbauer H, Brocke B, Moser E, Sitte HH, Pezawas L. Platelet serotonin transporter function predicts default-mode network activity. PLoS One 2014; 9:e92543. [PMID: 24667541 PMCID: PMC3965432 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2012] [Accepted: 02/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The serotonin transporter (5-HTT) is abundantly expressed in humans by the serotonin transporter gene SLC6A4 and removes serotonin (5-HT) from extracellular space. A blood-brain relationship between platelet and synaptosomal 5-HT reuptake has been suggested, but it is unknown today, if platelet 5-HT uptake can predict neural activation of human brain networks that are known to be under serotonergic influence. Methods A functional magnetic resonance study was performed in 48 healthy subjects and maximal 5-HT uptake velocity (Vmax) was assessed in blood platelets. We used a mixed-effects multilevel analysis technique (MEMA) to test for linear relationships between whole-brain, blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) activity and platelet Vmax. Results The present study demonstrates that increases in platelet Vmax significantly predict default-mode network (DMN) suppression in healthy subjects independent of genetic variation within SLC6A4. Furthermore, functional connectivity analyses indicate that platelet Vmax is related to global DMN activation and not intrinsic DMN connectivity. Conclusion This study provides evidence that platelet Vmax predicts global DMN activation changes in healthy subjects. Given previous reports on platelet-synaptosomal Vmax coupling, results further suggest an important role of neuronal 5-HT reuptake in DMN regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Scharinger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrich Rabl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian H. Kasess
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bernhard M. Meyer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tina Hofmaier
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Center for Biomolecular Medicine and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kersten Diers
- Department of Psychology, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lucie Bartova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald Pail
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Huf
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Statistics and Probability Theory, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Zeljko Uzelac
- Center for Biomolecular Medicine and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Beate Hartinger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaudius Kalcher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Statistics and Probability Theory, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Perkmann
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Helmuth Haslacher
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Siegfried Kasper
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Freissmuth
- Center for Biomolecular Medicine and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Windischberger
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthäus Willeit
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rupert Lanzenberger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Harald Esterbauer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Burkhard Brocke
- Department of Psychology, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ewald Moser
- Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Harald H. Sitte
- Center for Biomolecular Medicine and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Pezawas
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- * E-mail:
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