Learning to control brain activity pattern using real-time functional MRI: A feasibility study

2016 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26350993
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Bagarinao E. 名古屋大学, 脳とこころの研究センター, 特任准教授 (00443218)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: real-time functional MRI / neurofeedback / support vector machine / brain machine interface / machine learning

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

The final year of the project was devoted to the last remaining scans and additional enhancement of the real-time fMRI system. For this, 3 more participants were recruited and scanned, completing the target number of participants.

Additional tools were also developed for the real-time fMRI system. This included an interface for a small humanoid robot that served as a neurofeedback system for imagined movements. In the current implementation, the real-time classification of the generated activation maps during the scan using support vector machine drives the robot’s arm movement. Another was the development of an algorithm using simultaneous EEG-fMRI to increase the temporal resolution of fMRI feedback to sub-second time scale. The feasibility of the algorithm was investigated using several tasks including working memory, semantic memory, and oddball tasks.

Finally, results obtained this year were presented in domestic as well as international conferences. The developed source code for the real-time system was also shared to other research institutes for use in their own real-time fMRI implementation. The results are also being finalized for possible publication.

Research Products

• [Presentation] Development of a Brain Machine Interface Using a Neurofeedback fMRI System - A Small Humanoid Represents Imagery Movements - (2017)
  • Author(s): Akihiro Yoshida, Epifanio Bagarinao, Mika Ueno, Haruo Isoda, Kazunori Terabe, Shohei Kato, Toshiharu Nakai
  • Organizer: 1st Annual Scientific Meeting of the ISMRM Japanese Chapter
  • Place of Presentation: Osaka, Japan
  • Year and Date: 2017-02-23 – 2017-02-24
• [Presentation] Real-time fMRI を使用した小型ヒューマノイド Neurofeedback システムの構築 (2016)
  • Author(s): 吉田旭宏, エピファニオ バガリナオ, 上野美果, 寺部和紀, 加藤昇平, 礒田治夫, 中井敏晴
  • Organizer: 平成２８年度日本生体医工学会東海支部学術集会
  • Place of Presentation: 名古屋市、愛知県
  • Year and Date: 2016-10-22 – 2016-10-22
• [Presentation] Real-time functional MRI (2016)
  • Author(s): Epifanio Bagarinao
  • Organizer: Lecture presented at Tri-Service General Hospital
  • Place of Presentation: Taipei, Taiwan
  • Year and Date: 2016-09-26 – 2016-09-26
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Building an Activation Map Driven Operation System for a Small Humanoid Using Real-time fMRI - An Initial Report - (2016)
  • Author(s): Akihiro Yoshida, Epifanio Bagarinao, Mika Ueno, Kazunori Terabe, Shohei Kato, Haruo Isoda, Toshiharu Nakai
  • Organizer: BrainConnects 2016
  • Place of Presentation: Taichung, Taiwan
  • Year and Date: 2016-09-22 – 2016-09-25
• [Presentation] EEG-fMRI同時計測による意味記憶課題中のサブセカンドレベルでの連続的な脳活動の検出 (2016)
  • Author(s): Kengo Mizuno, Epifanio Bagarinao, Satoshi Maesawa, Saea Tohira, Hirohisa Watanabe, Toshiharu Nakai, and Haruo Isoda
  • Organizer: 44th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
  • Place of Presentation: Saitama, Japan
  • Year and Date: 2016-09-09 – 2016-09-11
• [Presentation] Sub-second activation dynamics of the oddball task: A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study (2016)
  • Author(s): E. Bagarinao, K. Mizuno, S. Maesawa, H. Watanabe, S. Tohira, T. Nakai, and H. Isoda
  • Organizer: 39th Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society
  • Place of Presentation: Yokohama, Japan
  • Year and Date: 2016-07-20 – 2016-07-22
• [Presentation] Detecting subsecond activation changes during interictal epileptic spike using simultaneous EEG-fMRI (2016)
  • Author(s): Epifanio Bagarinao, Satoshi Maesawa, Yuji Ito, Hirohisa Watanabe, and Haruo Isoda
  • Organizer: 22nd Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping
  • Place of Presentation: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Year and Date: 2016-06-26 – 2016-06-30
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Sequential activation in sub-second range during working memory task: A simultaneous EEG-fMRI study (2016)
  • Author(s): Kengo Mizuno, Epifanio Bagarinao, Satoshi Maesawa, Saea Tohira, Hirohisa Watanabe, Toshiharu Nakai, and Haruo Isoda
  • Organizer: 22nd Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping
  • Place of Presentation: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Year and Date: 2016-06-26 – 2016-06-30
  • Int'l Joint Research