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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.05.31.542967

High-resolution Dynamic Human Brain Neural Activity Recording Using 3T MRI

Zhang, Y.·Sun, K.·Ren, J.·Hu, Q.·Wang, Y.·Li, S.·Chen, T.·Xu, N.·Guo, N.·Fu, X.·Liu, X.·Cao, Z.·Gao, J.-h.·Liu, H.
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Abstract

Despite extensive research over decades, a non-invasive technique capable of capturing neural activities in the human brain with high spatiotemporal resolution is still lacking. The recently proposed direct imaging of neuronal activity (DIANA) using ultrahigh-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown promise, but the translation from anesthetized mice to awake humans poses a significant challenge. Here we present Time Resolved ImaGing of Global Electroneurophysiological Record (TRIGGER), a novel technique that enables the direct detection of neural activity in the awake human brain using 3T MRI. In 18 participants, visual responses were captured at 5-mm spatial resolution and 1.4-ms temporal resolution. Importantly, the delay in stimulus presentation reliably corresponded to the latency of neural responses on a millisecond scale. Furthermore, when stimuli were presented to one visual field, the responses in two hemispheres exhibited the expected time difference. This non-invasive mapping approach holds the potential to elucidate neural dynamics underlying human brain function and disorders.

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Zhang, Y., Sun, K., Ren, J., Hu, Q., Wang, Y., Li, S., Chen, T., Xu, N., Guo, N., Fu, X., Liu, X., Cao, Z., Gao, J.-h., Liu, H.. 2023-06-04. High-resolution Dynamic Human Brain Neural Activity Recording Using 3T MRI. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.05.31.542967

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