Bächinger Marc, Zerbi Valerio, Moisa Marius, Polania Rafael, Liu Quanying, Mantini Dante, Ruff Christian, Wenderoth Nicole
Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland,
Neural Control of Movement Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
J Neurosci. 2017 May 3;37(18):4766-4777. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1756-16.2017. Epub 2017 Apr 6.
Resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) is commonly used to study the brain's intrinsic neural coupling, which reveals specific spatiotemporal patterns in the form of resting state networks (RSNs). It has been hypothesized that slow rs-fMRI oscillations (<0.1 Hz) are driven by underlying electrophysiological rhythms that typically occur at much faster timescales (>5 Hz); however, causal evidence for this relationship is currently lacking. Here we measured rs-fMRI in humans while applying transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to entrain brain rhythms in left and right sensorimotor cortices. The two driving tACS signals were tailored to the individual's α rhythm (8-12 Hz) and fluctuated in amplitude according to a 1 Hz power envelope. We entrained the left versus right hemisphere in accordance to two different coupling modes where either α oscillations were synchronized between hemispheres (phase-synchronized tACS) or the slower oscillating power envelopes (power-synchronized tACS). Power-synchronized tACS significantly increased rs-fMRI connectivity within the stimulated RSN compared with phase-synchronized or no tACS. This effect outlasted the stimulation period and tended to be more effective in individuals who exhibited a naturally weak interhemispheric coupling. Using this novel approach, our data provide causal evidence that synchronized power fluctuations contribute to the formation of fMRI-based RSNs. Moreover, our findings demonstrate that the brain's intrinsic coupling at rest can be selectively modulated by choosing appropriate tACS signals, which could lead to new interventions for patients with altered rs-fMRI connectivity. Resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) has become an important tool to estimate brain connectivity. However, relatively little is known about how slow hemodynamic oscillations measured with fMRI relate to electrophysiological processes. It was suggested that slowly fluctuating power envelopes of electrophysiological signals synchronize across brain areas and that the topography of this activity is spatially correlated to resting state networks derived from rs-fMRI. Here we take a novel approach to address this problem and establish a causal link between the power fluctuations of electrophysiological signals and rs-fMRI via a new neuromodulation paradigm, which exploits these power synchronization mechanisms. These novel mechanistic insights bridge different scientific domains and are of broad interest to researchers in the fields of Medical Imaging, Neuroscience, Physiology, and Psychology.
静息态功能磁共振成像(rs-fMRI)通常用于研究大脑的内在神经耦合,这种耦合以静息态网络(RSN)的形式揭示特定的时空模式。据推测,缓慢的rs-fMRI振荡(<0.1赫兹)是由通常发生在快得多的时间尺度(>5赫兹)的潜在电生理节律驱动的;然而,目前缺乏这种关系的因果证据。在这里,我们在对人类进行rs-fMRI测量的同时,应用经颅交流电刺激(tACS)来诱导左右感觉运动皮层的脑节律。两个驱动tACS信号根据个体的α节律(8-12赫兹)进行调整,并根据1赫兹的功率包络在幅度上波动。我们根据两种不同的耦合模式分别诱导左半球和右半球,其中α振荡在半球之间同步(相位同步tACS)或较慢振荡的功率包络同步(功率同步tACS)。与相位同步或无tACS相比,功率同步tACS显著增加了受刺激RSN内的rs-fMRI连接性。这种效应在刺激期之后仍然存在,并且在自然半球间耦合较弱的个体中往往更有效。通过这种新方法,我们的数据提供了因果证据,表明同步的功率波动有助于基于fMRI的RSN的形成。此外,我们的研究结果表明,通过选择合适的tACS信号,可以选择性地调节大脑在静息状态下的内在耦合,这可能为rs-fMRI连接性改变的患者带来新的干预措施。静息态功能磁共振成像(rs-fMRI)已成为估计大脑连接性的重要工具。然而,对于通过fMRI测量的缓慢血流动力学振荡如何与电生理过程相关,人们了解相对较少。有人提出,电生理信号缓慢波动的功率包络在脑区之间同步,并且这种活动的地形在空间上与从rs-fMRI得出的静息态网络相关。在这里,我们采用一种新方法来解决这个问题,并通过一种利用这些功率同步机制的新神经调节范式,在电生理信号的功率波动和rs-fMRI之间建立因果联系。这些新的机制性见解跨越了不同的科学领域,对医学成像、神经科学、生理学和心理学领域的研究人员具有广泛的兴趣。