scholarly journals Model-based dynamic off-resonance correction for improved accelerated fMRI in awake behaving non-human primates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mo Shahdloo ◽  
Urs Schuffelgen ◽  
Daniel Papp ◽  
Karla Miller ◽  
Mark Chiew
Keyword(s):  
Reference Frame ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Body Motion ◽  
Linear Perturbation ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Reconstruction Methods ◽  
Ghosting Artifacts ◽  
The Brain

Purpose: To estimate dynamic off-resonance due to vigorous body motion in accelerated fMRI of awake behaving non-human primates (NHPs) using the standard EPI 3-line navigator, in order to attenuate the effects of time-varying off-resonance on the reconstruction. Methods: In NHP fMRI the animal's head is usually head-posted, and the dynamic off-resonance is mainly caused by motion in body parts that are distant from the brain and have low spatial frequency. Hence, off-resonance at each frame can be approximated as a spatially linear perturbation of the off-resonance at a reference frame, and is manifested as a relative linear shift in k-space. Using GRAPPA operators, we estimated these shifts by comparing the 3-line navigator at each time frame with that at the reference frame. Estimated shifts were then used to correct the data at each frame. The proposed method was evaluated in phantom scans, simulations, and in vivo data. Results: The proposed method is shown to successfully estimate low-spatial order dynamic off-resonance perturbations, including induced linear off-resonance perturbations in phantoms, and is able to correct retrospectively corrupted data in simulations. Finally, it is shown to reduce ghosting artifacts and geometric distortions by up to 20% in simultaneous multi-slice in vivo acquisitions in awake-behaving NHPs. Conclusion: A method is proposed that does not need any sequence modification or extra acquisitions and makes accelerated awake behaving NHP imaging more robust and reliable, reducing the gap between what is possible with NHP protocols and state-of-the-art human imaging.

Bistability of somatic pattern memories: stochastic outcomes in bioelectric circuits underlying regeneration

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1821) ◽  
pp. 20190765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Pezzulo ◽  
Joshua LaPalme ◽  
Fallon Durant ◽  
Michael Levin
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Memory Representation ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Evolutionary Innovation ◽  
New Interpretation ◽  
The Brain

Nervous systems’ computational abilities are an evolutionary innovation, specializing and speed-optimizing ancient biophysical dynamics. Bioelectric signalling originated in cells' communication with the outside world and with each other, enabling cooperation towards adaptive construction and repair of multicellular bodies. Here, we review the emerging field of developmental bioelectricity, which links the field of basal cognition to state-of-the-art questions in regenerative medicine, synthetic bioengineering and even artificial intelligence. One of the predictions of this view is that regeneration and regulative development can restore correct large-scale anatomies from diverse starting states because, like the brain, they exploit bioelectric encoding of distributed goal states—in this case, pattern memories. We propose a new interpretation of recent stochastic regenerative phenotypes in planaria, by appealing to computational models of memory representation and processing in the brain. Moreover, we discuss novel findings showing that bioelectric changes induced in planaria can be stored in tissue for over a week, thus revealing that somatic bioelectric circuits in vivo can implement a long-term, re-writable memory medium. A consideration of the mechanisms, evolution and functionality of basal cognition makes novel predictions and provides an integrative perspective on the evolution, physiology and biomedicine of information processing in vivo . This article is part of the theme issue ‘Basal cognition: multicellularity, neurons and the cognitive lens’.

scholarly journals Parallel updating and weighting of multiple spatial maps for visual stability during whole body motion

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 3211-3219 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Tramper ◽  
W. P. Medendorp
Keyword(s):  
Reference Frame ◽  
Reference Frames ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
Target Location ◽  
Visual Space ◽  
Body Motion ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Spatial Representations ◽  
Integration Model ◽  
The Brain

It is known that the brain uses multiple reference frames to code spatial information, including eye-centered and body-centered frames. When we move our body in space, these internal representations are no longer in register with external space, unless they are actively updated. Whether the brain updates multiple spatial representations in parallel, or whether it restricts its updating mechanisms to a single reference frame from which other representations are constructed, remains an open question. We developed an optimal integration model to simulate the updating of visual space across body motion in multiple or single reference frames. To test this model, we designed an experiment in which participants had to remember the location of a briefly presented target while being translated sideways. The behavioral responses were in agreement with a model that uses a combination of eye- and body-centered representations, weighted according to the reliability in which the target location is stored and updated in each reference frame. Our findings suggest that the brain simultaneously updates multiple spatial representations across body motion. Because both representations are kept in sync, they can be optimally combined to provide a more precise estimate of visual locations in space than based on single-frame updating mechanisms.

scholarly journals Transformation of vestibular signals for the decisions of hand choice during whole body motion

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (6) ◽  
pp. 2392-2400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romy S. Bakker ◽  
Luc P. J. Selen ◽  
W. Pieter Medendorp
Keyword(s):  
Reference Frame ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Hand Preference ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Motion ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Head Orientation ◽  
Inertial Acceleration ◽  
Reach Planning ◽  
The Brain

In daily life, we frequently reach toward objects while our body is in motion. We have recently shown that body accelerations influence the decision of which hand to use for the reach, possibly by modulating the body-centered computations of the expected reach costs. However, head orientation relative to the body was not manipulated, and hence it remains unclear whether vestibular signals contribute in their head-based sensory frame or in a transformed body-centered reference frame to these cost calculations. To test this, subjects performed a preferential reaching task to targets at various directions while they were sinusoidally translated along the lateral body axis, with their head either aligned with the body (straight ahead) or rotated 18° to the left. As a measure of hand preference, we determined the target direction that resulted in equiprobable right/left-hand choices. Results show that head orientation affects this balanced target angle when the body is stationary but does not further modulate hand preference when the body is in motion. Furthermore, reaction and movement times were larger for reaches to the balanced target angle, resembling a competitive selection process, and were modulated by head orientation when the body was stationary. During body translation, reaction and movement times depended on the phase of the motion, but this phase-dependent modulation had no interaction with head orientation. We conclude that the brain transforms vestibular signals to body-centered coordinates at the early stage of reach planning, when the decision of hand choice is computed. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The brain takes inertial acceleration into account in computing the anticipated biomechanical costs that guide hand selection during whole body motion. Whereas these costs are defined in a body-centered, muscle-based reference frame, the otoliths detect the inertial acceleration in head-centered coordinates. By systematically manipulating head position relative to the body, we show that the brain transforms otolith signals into body-centered coordinates at an early stage of reach planning, i.e., before the decision of hand choice is computed.

scholarly journals Comparison between diffusion MRI tractography and histological tract-tracing of cortico-cortical structural connectivity in the ferret brain

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 1038-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Delettre ◽  
Arnaud Messé ◽  
Leigh-Anne Dell ◽  
Ophélie Foubet ◽  
Katja Heuer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Mri ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Fiber Architecture ◽  
Tract Tracing ◽  
Central Focus ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Brain

The anatomical wiring of the brain is a central focus in network neuroscience. Diffusion MRI tractography offers the unique opportunity to investigate the brain fiber architecture in vivo and noninvasively. However, its reliability is still highly debated. Here, we explored the ability of diffusion MRI tractography to match invasive anatomical tract-tracing connectivity data of the ferret brain. We also investigated the influence of several state-of-the-art tractography algorithms on this match to ground truth connectivity data. Tract-tracing connectivity data were obtained from retrograde tracer injections into the occipital, parietal, and temporal cortices of adult ferrets. We found that the relative densities of projections identified from the anatomical experiments were highly correlated with the estimates from all the studied diffusion tractography algorithms (Spearman’s rho ranging from 0.67 to 0.91), while only small, nonsignificant variations appeared across the tractography algorithms. These results are comparable to findings reported in mouse and monkey, increasing the confidence in diffusion MRI tractography results. Moreover, our results provide insights into the variations of sensitivity and specificity of the tractography algorithms, and hence into the influence of choosing one algorithm over another.

scholarly journals Differential role of spinal and supraspinal processing of proprioceptive information in mouse locomotion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Santuz ◽  
Olivier Laflamme ◽  
Turgay Akay
Keyword(s):  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Proprioceptive Information ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Ascending Pathways ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Brain

AbstractSafe locomotion relies on information from proprioceptors, sensory organs that communicate the position of body parts to the central nervous system. Proprioceptive circuits in the spinal cord are known to robustly regulate locomotion in challenging environments. The role of ascending pathways conveying proprioceptive information to the brain remains less clear. Through mouse genetic studies and in vivo electrophysiology, here we show that the systemic removal of proprioceptors leaves the animals in a constantly perturbed state, similar to that observed during mechanically perturbed locomotion in wild type. Yet, after surgical interruption of the ascending proprioceptive pathways, wild-type mice lose the ability to cope with external perturbations while walking. Our findings provide direct evidence of a pivotal role for ascending proprioceptive information in achieving safe locomotion.

scholarly journals Comparison between diffusion MRI tractography and histological tract-tracing of cortico-cortical structural connectivity in the ferret brain

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Delettre ◽  
A. Messé ◽  
L-A. Dell ◽  
O. Foubet ◽  
K. Heuer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diffusion Mri ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Fiber Architecture ◽  
Tract Tracing ◽  
Central Focus ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe anatomical wiring of the brain is a central focus in network neuroscience. Diffusion MRI tractography offers the unique opportunity to investigate the brain fiber architecture in vivo and non invasively. However, its reliability is still highly debated. Here, we explored the ability of diffusion MRI tractography to match invasive anatomical tract-tracing connectivity data of the ferret brain. We also investigated the influence of several state-of-the-art tractography algorithms on this match to ground truth connectivity data. Tract-tracing connectivity data were obtained from retrograde tracer injections into the occipital, parietal and temporal cortices of adult ferrets. We found that the relative densities of projections identified from the anatomical experiments were highly correlated with the estimates from all the studied diffusion tractography algorithms (Spearman’s rho ranging from 0.67 to 0.91), while only small, non-significant variations appeared across the tractography algorithms. These results are comparable to findings reported in mouse and monkey, increasing the confidence in diffusion MRI tractography results. Moreover, our results provide insights into the variations of sensitivity and specificity of the tractography algorithms and hence, into the influence of choosing one algorithm over another.

Effect of pH and inhibitors on beta-amyloid fibril assembly

1996 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 752-753
Author(s):  
Beverly E. Maleeff ◽  
Timothy K. Hart ◽  
Stephen J. Wood ◽  
Ronald Wetzel
Keyword(s):  
Amyloid Fibril ◽  
Peptide Fragment ◽  
Hydrophobic Peptides ◽  
Amyloid Fibril Formation ◽  
Effects Of Ph ◽  
Severity Of The Disease ◽  
Kinetics Of ◽  
The Brain

Alzheimer's disease is characterized post-mortem in part by abnormal extracellular neuritic plaques found in brain tissue. There appears to be a correlation between the severity of Alzheimer's dementia in vivo and the number of plaques found in particular areas of the brain. These plaques are known to be the deposition sites of fibrils of the protein β-amyloid. It is thought that if the assembly of these plaques could be inhibited, the severity of the disease would be decreased. The peptide fragment Aβ, a precursor of the p-amyloid protein, has a 40 amino acid sequence, and has been shown to be toxic to neuronal cells in culture after an aging process of several days. This toxicity corresponds to the kinetics of in vitro amyloid fibril formation. In this study, we report the biochemical and ultrastructural effects of pH and the inhibitory agent hexadecyl-N-methylpiperidinium (HMP) bromide, one of a class of ionic micellar detergents known to be capable of solubilizing hydrophobic peptides, on the in vitro assembly of the peptide fragment Aβ.

Microvascular features that suggest effectors of blood-flow regulation in the brain: Evidence by SEM of corrosion casts of intracerebral vessels

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-275
Author(s):  
Enrico D.F. Motti ◽  
Hans-Georg Imhof ◽  
Gazi M. Yasargil
Keyword(s):  
Blood Flow ◽  
Perfusion Pressure ◽  
Corrosion Casts ◽  
Cerebral Microcirculation ◽  
Pial Arteries ◽  
Random Occurrence ◽  
Brain Arteries ◽  
Homogeneous Network ◽  
The Brain

Physiologists have devoted most attention in the cerebrovascular tree to the arterial side of the circulation which has been subdivided in three levels: 1) major brain arteries which keep microcirculation constant despite changes in perfusion pressure; 2) pial arteries supposed to be effectors regulating microcirculation; 3) intracerebral arteries supposed to be deprived of active cerebral blood flow regulating devices.The morphological search for microvascular effectors in the cerebrovascular bed has been elusive. The opaque substance of the brain confines in vivo investigation to the superficial pial arteries. Most morphologists had to limit their observation to the random occurrence of a favorable site in the practically two-dimensional thickness of diaphanized histological sections. It is then not surprising most investigators of the cerebral microcirculation refer to an homogeneous network of microvessels interposed between arterioles and venules.We have taken advantage of the excellent depth of focus afforded by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) to investigate corrosion casts obtained injecting a range of experimental animals with a modified Batson's acrylic mixture.

Automated System for Epileptic Seizures Prediction based on Multi-Channel Recordings of Electrical Brain Activity

2018 ◽  
pp. 115-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. A. Maksimenko ◽  
A. A. Harchenko ◽  
A. Lüttjohann
Keyword(s):  
Epileptic Seizure ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Epileptic Seizures ◽  
Automated System ◽  
Brain Computer Interfaces ◽  
Electrical Brain Activity ◽  
Computer Interfaces ◽  
Prediction And Prevention ◽  
The Brain

Introduction: Now the great interest in studying the brain activity based on detection of oscillatory patterns on the recorded data of electrical neuronal activity (electroencephalograms) is associated with the possibility of developing brain-computer interfaces. Braincomputer interfaces are based on the real-time detection of characteristic patterns on electroencephalograms and their transformation  into commands for controlling external devices. One of the important areas of the brain-computer interfaces application is the control of the pathological activity of the brain. This is in demand for epilepsy patients, who do not respond to drug treatment.Purpose: A technique for detecting the characteristic patterns of neural activity preceding the occurrence of epileptic seizures.Results:Using multi-channel electroencephalograms, we consider the dynamics of thalamo-cortical brain network, preceded the occurrence of an epileptic seizure. We have developed technique which allows to predict the occurrence of an epileptic seizure. The technique has been implemented in a brain-computer interface, which has been tested in-vivo on the animal model of absence epilepsy.Practical relevance:The results of our study demonstrate the possibility of epileptic seizures prediction based on multichannel electroencephalograms. The obtained results can be used in the development of neurointerfaces for the prediction and prevention of seizures of various types of epilepsy in humans. 

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