Non-invasive evaluation of human brainstem activity during sleep by multimodal MRI

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25750409
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Brain biometrics
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: KAN Shigeyuki 大阪大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 寄附講座助教 (20531867)
• Research Collaborator: MIYAUCHI Satoru ; SASAKI Makoto ; HIGUCHI Satomi
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: fMRI / 脳波 / 脳幹

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To develop an evaluation method of human brainstem activity during sleep, we constructed a simultaneous EEG/fMRI recording system on a 7T MRI and investigated feasibility that fMRI can detect human brainstem activity. We confirmed that we can record EEG with 7T MRI, and that fMRI scanning does not produce harmful electrode heating. In regard to identification of brainstem activity by fMRI, we found brainstem activity related to sympathetic activity induced by salient auditory stimuli, although we was not able to detect brainstem activity related to saccades. Location of this brainstem activity almost overlapped that of the locus ceruleus which was identified on a neuromeranin image. Furthermore, we showed the possibility that rs-fMRI can identify function connectivity of the locus ceruleus.

Free Research Field

神経科学