Towards preclinical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease based on the default network activity

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24390292
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Radiation science
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: FUKUYAMA Hidenao 京都大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (90181297)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): URAYAMA Shin-ichi 京都大学, 大学院医学研究科, 助教 (10270729) ; ASO Toshihiko 京都大学, 大学院医学研究科, 助教 (50397543) ; MATSUHASHI Masao 京都大学, 学内共同利用施設等, 准教授 (40456885) ; OISHI Naoya 京都大学, 大学院医学研究科, 助教 (40526878) ; SUZUKI Takashi 京都大学, 大学院医学研究科, 助教 (10572224)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 機能的MRI / デフォルトモードネットワーク / アルツハイマー病 / 認知症 / 脳血流 / レーザースペックル血流計

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Default mode network (DMN) is a large-scale brain network with intriguing properties, but observation of the DMN has been heavily relied on blood flow-based methods such as functional MRI. Our project aimed at establishing measurement of "true" neural activity by using diffusion-weighted functional MRI. Human and animal MRI studies were conducted on DMN connectivity as well as DfMRI signal origin. At the same time, we have newly developed a high-performance measurement system that enables simultaneous measurements of cerebral blood flow changes using laser speckle blood flow imaging and hemodynamic responses using optical intrinsic signal imaging. With the system, we found dynamic changes in cerebral blood flow and hemoglobin with high spatial and temporal resolution during whisker stimulation in a rat brain. These results indicate that our system is useful to elucidate a precise mechanism of neurovascular coupling.

Free Research Field

脳機能イメージング