Blood oxygenation level dependent contrast resting state networks are relevant to functional activity in the neocortical sensorimotor system

• Published in: Experimental brain research Vol. 167; no. 4; pp. 587 - 594
• Main Authors: De Luca, Marilena, Smith, Stephen, De Stefano, Nicola, Federico, Antonio, Matthews, Paul M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.12.2005; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebral circulation. Blood-brain barrier. Choroid plexus. Cerebrospinal fluid. Circumventricular organ. Meninges; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Female; Functional Laterality - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Motor control and motor pathways. Reflexes. Control centers of vegetative functions. Vestibular system and equilibration; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting - blood; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting - metabolism; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting - physiopathology; Neocortex - physiology; Nerve Net - physiology; Oxygen - blood; Signal Transduction - physiology; Somatosensory Cortex - physiology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Human; Cerebral cortex; Motor pathway; Central nervous system; Oscillations; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Hand; Encephalon; fMRI; Motor cortex; Oscillation; Sensorimotor cortex; Neuronal synchronisation; Resting brain
• DOI: 10.1007/s00221-005-0059-1
• ISSN: 0014-4819

The relevance of correlations between blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal changes across the brain acquired at rest (resting state networks, or RSN) to functional networks was tested using two quantitative criteria: (1) the localisation of major RSN correlation clusters and the task-related maxima defined in BOLD fMRI signal changes from the same subjects; and (2) the relative hemispheric lateralisation (LI) of BOLD fMRI signal changes in sensorimotor cortex. RSN were defined on the basis of signal changes correlated with that of a "seed" voxel in the primary sensorimotor cortex. We found a generally close spatial correspondence between clusters of correlated BOLD signal change in RSN and activation maxima associated with hand movement. Conventional BOLD fMRI during active hand movement showed the expected wide variation in relative hemispheric lateralisation of LI for sensorimotor cortex across the subjects. There was a good correlation between LIs for the active hand movement task and the RSN (r=0.74, p<0.001). The RSN thus define anatomically relevant regions of motor cortex and change with functionally relevant variations in hemispheric lateralisation of sensorimotor cortical interactions with hand movement.