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Intracranial microprobe for evaluating neuro-hemodynamic coupling in unanesthetized human neocortex
Corey J Keller1, Sydney S Cash, Suresh Narayanan
1Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA. cjkeller@partners.org
Journal of Neuroscience Methods
|May 12, 2009
Summary
Researchers developed a novel laminar optode to simultaneously measure neural activity and blood flow in the human brain. This technique offers a new way to study neurovascular coupling in real-time for cognitive neuroscience and clinical applications.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- The blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) response measured by fMRI is crucial for cognitive neuroscience and clinical care.
- Understanding the complex link between neuronal activity and hemodynamic changes is vital but poorly understood.
- Existing methods lack the resolution to directly compare neural and hemodynamic activity at the microdomain level in humans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel technique for simultaneous measurement of neural and hemodynamic changes in cortical microdomains of awake humans.
- To enable direct comparison of neuronal activity with hemodynamic responses in specific cortical circuits.
- To provide a robust tool for defining neurovascular coupling in humans.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a "laminar optode" combining microelectrodes for electrophysiology and a micro-optical device for hemodynamics.
- Electrophysiological recordings included local field potential gradients (PG) and multi-unit activity (MUA) across cortical depth.
- Hemodynamic measurements involved laser Doppler for cerebral blood flow and point spectroscopy for hemoglobin concentrations.
Main Results:
- The laminar optode successfully recorded simultaneous neural and hemodynamic data from cortical microdomains in human subjects.
- Validation tests using EKG, breath-holding, and cortical stimulation yielded expected physiological responses.
- The technique allowed for the inference of activity in specific neuronal circuits and direct comparison with hemodynamic changes.
Conclusions:
- The developed laminar optode provides a new and robust method for detailed, quantitative data acquisition in awake humans.
- This technique significantly advances the study of neurovascular coupling by directly linking neural and hemodynamic measures.
- The findings have implications for understanding brain function in health and disease and for clinical applications.
