Cerebral Blood Flow-Based Resting State Functional Connectivity of the Human Brain using Optical Diffuse Correlation...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Physiology

Background:

• Cerebral blood flow (CBF) is crucial for understanding brain oxygen supply and function.
• Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analysis reveals correlations between brain regions based on low-frequency fluctuations.
• Current methods for assessing brain function often lack direct measurement of hemodynamic parameters like CBF.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a protocol for assessing blood flow-based resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in the human brain.
• To utilize optical diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) for measuring CBF-based RSFC.
• To investigate the intra-regional and inter-regional connectivity patterns in the human frontal cortex.

Main Methods:

• The study employed optical diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF).
• A resting-state protocol was used to assess functional connectivity based on CBF.
• Data analysis focused on comparing intra-regional and inter-regional RSFC in the human frontal cortex.

Main Results:

• The protocol successfully assessed blood flow-based resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in the human brain.
• Intra-regional RSFC was found to be significantly higher than inter-regional RSFC in both the left and right cortices of the frontal lobe.
• These findings highlight the utility of CBF as a contrast mechanism for RSFC.

Conclusions:

• The presented DCS protocol offers a novel method for studying brain function through CBF-based RSFC.
• The results demonstrate distinct patterns of intra- and inter-regional connectivity in the frontal cortex.
• This approach is valuable for multi-modal brain imaging research, particularly in pediatric populations.