Focal fMRI signal enhancement with implantable inductively coupled detectors
Yi Chen,
Qi Wang,
Sangcheon Choi,
Hang Zeng,
Kengo Takahashi,
Chunqi Qian,
Xin Yu
Affiliations
Yi Chen
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, 91058, Erlangen, Germany
Qi Wang
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
Sangcheon Choi
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
Hang Zeng
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
Kengo Takahashi
Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany
Chunqi Qian
Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Corresponding authors.
Xin Yu
Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Corresponding authors.
Despite extensive efforts to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of fMRI images for brain-wide mapping, technical advances of focal brain signal enhancement are lacking, in particular, for animal brain imaging. Emerging studies have combined fMRI with fiber optic-based optogenetics to decipher circuit-specific neuromodulation from meso to macroscales. High-resolution fMRI is needed to integrate hemodynamic responses into cross-scale functional dynamics, but the SNR remains a limiting factor given the complex implantation setup of animal brains. Here, we developed a multimodal fMRI imaging platform with an implanted inductive coil detector. This detector boosts the tSNR of MRI images, showing a 2–3-fold sensitivity gain over conventional coil configuration. In contrast to the cryoprobe or array coils with limited spaces for implanted brain interface, this setup offers a unique advantage to study brain circuit connectivity with optogenetic stimulation and can be further extended to other multimodal fMRI mapping schemes.
