Multimodal identification of the mouse brain using simultaneous Ca ²⁺ imaging and fMRI

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Systems Biology

Background:

• Individual differences in neuroimaging are crucial for personalized treatment of neurological disorders.
• Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is widely used but has limitations in spatiotemporal resolution and signal specificity.
• Animal models offer opportunities to overcome limitations of human fMRI by allowing complementary invasive measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate individual differences in brain activity using a multimodal imaging approach in mice.
• To apply a connectome-based identification framework, adapted from human studies, to mouse fMRI data.
• To achieve high spatiotemporal resolution, cell-type specific signals from the whole cortex.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous wide-field fluorescence calcium imaging and BOLD-fMRI were performed in mice.
• A connectome-based identification framework was employed to analyze individual differences.
• Cell-type specific signals were acquired from glia, excitatory, and inhibitory interneurons across the cortex.

Main Results:

• The multimodal approach successfully identified individual differences in mouse brain activity.
• Connectome-based identification in mice proved to be a successful strategy.
• High spatiotemporal resolution, cell-type specific signals were obtained from the entire cortex.

Conclusions:

• Simultaneous calcium imaging and BOLD-fMRI in mice provide a powerful tool for studying individual brain variability.
• The adapted connectome-based identification framework is effective for analyzing individual differences in mouse neuroimaging data.
• This approach holds promise for advancing our understanding of neurological conditions and developing personalized treatments.