Influences of negative BOLD responses on positive BOLD responses

Understanding possible interactions between blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses is critical for model-based analyses and the interpretation of experiments that deal with stimuli presented close together in time. Such interactions are well documented in the case of successive positive BOLD responses. However, the influence that a stimulus-induced, negative BOLD response exerts on a subsequent positive BOLD response has yet to be investigated and is the focus of the current study. We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging on 10 healthy subjects during bilateral electrical median nerve stimulation using five different time intervals between left- and right-sided stimuli. We found an acute interruption of the ongoing negative BOLD response at the onset of the positive BOLD response. Different parameters characterizing the positive BOLD response were estimated. There was no impact of the preceding negative BOLD response on the parameters describing the subsequent positive BOLD response. These findings indicate that the underlying mechanisms for negative and positive BOLD responses do not engage parallel processes. We hypothesize that the negative BOLD response is caused by a decreased release of the same vasodilatative agents that evoke the positive BOLD response. Additionally, our results demonstrate that there is no need to adjust the model of a positive BOLD response due to a preceding negative BOLD response in the same brain area.