Facoltà Di Medicina Veterinaria, Università Degli Studi Di Teramo, Teramo, Italy.
Dipartimento Di Medicina Veterinaria, Università Degli Studi Di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Sci Rep. 2020 Sep 7;10(1):14726. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-71704-5.
The aim of this work was to critically assess if functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can be profitably used as a tool for noninvasive recording of brain functions and emotions in sheep. We considered an experimental design including advances in instrumentation (customized wireless multi-distance fNIRS system), more accurate physical modelling (two-layer model for photon diffusion and 3D Monte Carlo simulations), support from neuroanatomical tools (positioning of the fNIRS probe by MRI and DTI data of the very same animals), and rigorous protocols (motor task, startling test) for testing the behavioral response of freely moving sheep. Almost no hemodynamic response was found in the extra-cerebral region in both the motor task and the startling test. In the motor task, as expected we found a canonical hemodynamic response in the cerebral region when sheep were walking. In the startling test, the measured hemodynamic response in the cerebral region was mainly from movement. Overall, these results indicate that with the current setup and probe positioning we are primarily measuring the motor area of the sheep brain, and not probing the too deeply located cortical areas related to processing of emotions.
本研究旨在批判性评估功能近红外光谱（fNIRS）是否可作为一种非侵入式记录绵羊大脑功能和情绪的工具。我们考虑了一种实验设计，包括仪器的改进（定制的无线多距离 fNIRS 系统）、更精确的物理建模（用于光子扩散的两层模型和 3D 蒙特卡罗模拟）、神经解剖学工具的支持（通过 MRI 和同一动物的 DTI 数据定位 fNIRS 探头），以及严格的协议（运动任务、惊跳测试），以测试自由移动绵羊的行为反应。在运动任务和惊跳测试中，在颅外区域几乎没有发现血液动力学反应。在运动任务中，当绵羊行走时，我们预期在大脑区域中会发现典型的血液动力学反应。在惊跳测试中，大脑区域测量到的血液动力学反应主要来自运动。总的来说，这些结果表明，根据当前的设置和探头定位，我们主要测量的是绵羊大脑的运动区域，而不是探测与情绪处理相关的位于深部的皮质区域。
