研究人员提出了一种二维快速线扫描方法，能够以毫秒级的精度对神经元活动进行直接成像，同时保留了磁共振成像（MRI）的高空间分辨率。这种方法通过在胡须垫电刺激期间在9.4特斯拉的小鼠大脑体内成像得到了证明。
体内脉冲记录和光遗传学证实了观察到的MRI信号与神经活动的高度关联性。它还捕捉到神经元活动沿丘脑皮层通路的顺序和层状特异性传播。这种高分辨率神经元活动的直接成像将为脑科学开辟新的途径，使人们更深入地了解大脑的功能组织，包括神经网络的时空动态。
据了解，长期以来，人们对能够以高时间和高空间分辨率检测神经元活动的非侵入性神经成像方法的需求一直存在。
附：英文原文
Title: In vivo direct imaging of neuronal activity at high temporospatial resolution
Author: Phan Tan Toi, Hyun Jae Jang, Kyeongseon Min, Sung-Phil Kim, Seung-Kyun Lee, Jongho Lee, Jeehyun Kwag, Jang-Yeon Park
Issue&Volume: 2022-10-14
Abstract: There has been a long-standing demand for noninvasive neuroimaging methods that can detect neuronal activity at both high temporal and high spatial resolution. We present a two-dimensional fast line-scan approach that enables direct imaging of neuronal activity with millisecond precision while retaining the high spatial resolution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This approach was demonstrated through in vivo mouse brain imaging at 9.4 tesla during electrical whisker-pad stimulation. In vivo spike recording and optogenetics confirmed the high correlation of the observed MRI signal with neural activity. It also captured the sequential and laminar-specific propagation of neuronal activity along the thalamocortical pathway. This high-resolution, direct imaging of neuronal activity will open up new avenues in brain science by providing a deeper understanding of the brain’s functional organization, including the temporospatial dynamics of neural networks.
DOI: abh4340
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abh4340