This Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-2 Focused EPSCoR* Collaboration (RII Track-2 FEC) project involves the Medical University of South Carolina as the lead and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Furman University, and University of South Carolina, Beaufort Campus as collaborative partners. Much of our knowledge of brain function comes from experiments using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which directly measures blood flow to regions of the brain, but remains an indirect measure of neural activity. The precise relationship between neural events and hemodynamic response (increased blood flow) is unclear. This project will test the hypothesis that universal rules relate these two brain activities, using direct measurements in the brain and retina of mice and macaques.
The research will develop new instrumentation for in vivo imaging and cell subtype-specific stimulation in both the brain and the retina necessary for interpreting functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) measurements. These activities will help determine the extent of neurovascular coupling and provide a description of the micro-circuitry, which represents a critical and necessary step in understanding the full complexity of the brain. The consortium will track neural and vascular activity with micron-scale resolution, using two-photon microscopy and adaptive optics to measure the presence of synthetic dyes interacting with genetically encoded sensors. Cell subtype-specific stimulation will be monitored using optogenetic techniques. A computational team will analyze the data obtained to tease out hemodynamic signals. Experiments will be performed on macaques, selected because of the similarity in size and functional repertoire with the human brain. Studies in mice, where genetic and molecular tools are more readily available, will also be performed.
*Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research
