Fast optical imaging of human brain function

Gabriele Gratton, Monica Fabiani, Gabriele Gratton, Monica Fabiani

Abstract

Great advancements in brain imaging during the last few decades have opened a large number of new possibilities for neuroscientists. The most dominant methodologies (electrophysiological and magnetic resonance-based methods) emphasize temporal and spatial information, respectively. However, theorizing about brain function has recently emphasized the importance of rapid (within 100 ms or so) interactions between different elements of complex neuronal networks. Fast optical imaging, and in particular the event-related optical signal (EROS, a technology that has emerged over the last 15 years) may provide descriptions of localized (to sub-cm level) brain activity with a temporal resolution of less than 100 ms. The main limitations of EROS are its limited penetration, which allows us to image cortical structures not deeper than 3 cm from the surface of the head, and its low signal-to-noise ratio. Advantages include the fact that EROS is compatible with most other imaging methods, including electrophysiological, magnetic resonance, and trans-cranial magnetic stimulation techniques, with which can be recorded concurrently. In this paper we present a summary of the research that has been conducted so far on fast optical imaging, including evidence for the possibility of recording neuronal signals with this method, the properties of the signals, and various examples of applications to the study of human cognitive neuroscience. Extant issues, controversies, and possible future developments are also discussed.

Keywords: cognitive neuroscience; diffusive optical imaging; diffusive optical tomography; event-related optical signal; near-infrared spectroscopy; non-invasive optical imaging.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Schematic representation of the back-scattering of photons under conditions of rest and activity in the cortex. S = Source (red dot); D = detector (yellow dot). As shown in the right panels, changes in transparency of the cortex are associated with changes in photon penetration and path length. Adapted from Figure 7 in Gratton and Fabiani (2003). (B) Projections (in green) of the areas investigated by a large number of optical sources (red dots) and detectors (yellow dots) onto 3D renditions of an MR anatomical image.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Adapted from Gratton et al. (2003). The left panel depicts the stimulation conditions used and the cortical regions that are predicted to carry the response. The right panel indicated the EROS time course from the predicted location averaged across the four stimulation conditions (thick lines), and the responses from the same locations when the other stimulation conditions where presented (thin lines). Error bars are based on the standard error of the mean (N = 8).
Figure 3
Figure 3
From Maclin et al. (2008). Three-dimensional reconstruction of EROS phase delay data for each stimulus eccentricity condition (Ecc = stimulus eccentricity). The data are grand average maps (N = 14) of an axial slice (z = –10 in MNI space) obtained at a latency of 76 ms from stimulation (sampling rate was 25.6 ms). The white crosses indicate the peak points. The data are displayed in arbitrary phase units.

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