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Subcortical evidence for a contribution of arousal to fMRI studies of brain activity

Author

Listed:
  • Xiao Liu

    (National Institutes of Health
    The Pennsylvania State University
    The Pennsylvania State University)

  • Jacco A. de Zwart

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • Marieke L. Schölvinck

    (Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society)

  • Catie Chang

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • Frank Q. Ye

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • David A. Leopold

    (National Institutes of Health
    National Institutes of Health)

  • Jeff H. Duyn

    (National Institutes of Health)

Abstract

Cortical activity during periods of rest is punctuated by widespread, synchronous events in both electrophysiological and hemodynamic signals, but their behavioral relevance remains unclear. Here we report that these events correspond to momentary drops in cortical arousal and are associated with activity changes in the basal forebrain and thalamus. Combining fMRI and electrophysiology in macaques, we first establish that fMRI transients co-occur with spectral shifts in local field potentials (LFPs) toward low frequencies. Applying this knowledge to fMRI data from the human connectome project, we find that the fMRI transients are strongest in sensory cortices. Surprisingly, the positive cortical transients occur together with negative transients in focal subcortical areas known to be involved with arousal regulation, most notably the basal forebrain. This subcortical involvement, combined with the prototypical pattern of LFP spectral shifts, suggests that commonly observed widespread variations in fMRI cortical activity are associated with momentary drops in arousal.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiao Liu & Jacco A. de Zwart & Marieke L. Schölvinck & Catie Chang & Frank Q. Ye & David A. Leopold & Jeff H. Duyn, 2018. "Subcortical evidence for a contribution of arousal to fMRI studies of brain activity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:9:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-017-02815-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02815-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Federico Rocchi & Carola Canella & Shahryar Noei & Daniel Gutierrez-Barragan & Ludovico Coletta & Alberto Galbusera & Alexia Stuefer & Stefano Vassanelli & Massimo Pasqualetti & Giuliano Iurilli & Ste, 2022. "Increased fMRI connectivity upon chemogenetic inhibition of the mouse prefrontal cortex," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Chuanjun Tong & Cirong Liu & Kaiwei Zhang & Binshi Bo & Ying Xia & Hao Yang & Yanqiu Feng & Zhifeng Liang, 2022. "Multimodal analysis demonstrating the shaping of functional gradients in the marmoset brain," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Feng Han & Xufu Liu & Richard B. Mailman & Xuemei Huang & Xiao Liu, 2023. "Resting-state global brain activity affects early β-amyloid accumulation in default mode network," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    4. Beverly Setzer & Nina E. Fultz & Daniel E. P. Gomez & Stephanie D. Williams & Giorgio Bonmassar & Jonathan R. Polimeni & Laura D. Lewis, 2022. "A temporal sequence of thalamic activity unfolds at transitions in behavioral arousal state," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Yalin Yu & Yue Qiu & Gen Li & Kaiwei Zhang & Binshi Bo & Mengchao Pei & Jingjing Ye & Garth J. Thompson & Jing Cang & Fang Fang & Yanqiu Feng & Xiaojie Duan & Chuanjun Tong & Zhifeng Liang, 2023. "Sleep fMRI with simultaneous electrophysiology at 9.4 T in male mice," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-18, December.

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