Functional Compartmentation and Connectivity of the Basal Ganglia at 9.4 Tesla

9.4 特斯拉时基底神经节的功能划分和连接性

• 批准号: 429260891
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Wolfgang Grodd
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Max-Planck-Institut für biologische Kybernetik
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2019-12-31 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/429260891?language=en
• 关键词: Functional; Compartmentation; Connectivity; Basal; Ganglia

Subcortical structures of the human brain comprise a large number of different nuclei, which account for about 25% of the total brain volume. The largest nuclei are assembled in the basal ganglia (BG) and the thalamus (Th), which both possess a relatively homogeneous anatomical structure, although they are in cooperation with various cortical areas responsible for a variety of functions. For example the four major nuclei of the BG, the caudate nucleus (NC), putamen (PU), and the internal (GPi) and external part (GPe) of the globus pallidum (GP) are involved in reinforcement learning, selection, processing, and control of motor commands, in limbic reactions, as well as in the inhibition of undesired actions. Thus, the proper interplay between the BG, cortex, and thalamus are fundamental for human behavior. Therefore, a better understanding of how the different nuclei of the BG and the Th work in concert with the cortex is urgently required. Moreover, such knowledge is of utmost importance to explain how neurological, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders alter brain function. Thus, our primary goal is to deliver a functional atlas of the BG to enhance the understanding of how these structures work together.We, therefore, want to investigate the segregated and integrative functional areas of the human BG and the Th and to determine their connectivity profiles with the cortex by applying high-resolution MRI at 9.4 Tesla. As the increased signal/noise at high-field MRI at 9.4 Tesla offers a superior spatial and temporal resolution, we hope to identify functional subunit within these nuclei. Using dedicated T1- and T2-weighted sequences and quantitative susceptibility maps we aim to: a) assess the anatomical delineation of the four nuclei of the BG, b) perform high-resolution (< 1 mm3) resting state (rs-fMRI) and task-related functional MRI (task-fMRI) measurements in groups of healthy controls, c) identify functional subunits within these nuclei, and d) analyze their connectivity patterns to i) cortical areas and ii) to different subunits of the thalamus. Finally, we plan to analyze iii) whether an overall correspondence and consistency exist between these structures at rest and during different task conditions. We hypothesize the existence of a reliable and reproducible functional parcellation of the BG, which can be identified via high-resolution imaging. Furthermore, we expect that parcellation and connectivity will differ between rest and task as it is influenced by the ongoing motor, somatosensory, and limbic processing.

人脑皮质下结构由大量不同的核团组成，约占脑体积的25%。最大的核团聚集在基底节(BG)和丘脑(Th)，这两个区域都具有相对均匀的解剖结构，尽管它们与负责各种功能的不同皮质区域协同工作。例如，BG的四个主要核团，尾状核(NC)、壳核(PU)和苍白球(GP)的内部(GPI)和外部(GPE)参与了强化学习、选择、加工和运动指令的控制，参与边缘反应，以及对不良行为的抑制。因此，大脑皮层、大脑皮质和丘脑之间的适当相互作用是人类行为的基础。因此，迫切需要更好地了解BG和Th的不同核是如何与皮质协同工作的。此外，这些知识对于解释神经、神经退行性疾病和精神障碍如何改变大脑功能至关重要。因此，我们的主要目标是提供BG的功能图谱，以加强对这些结构如何协同工作的了解。因此，我们希望研究人类BG和Th的分离和整合功能区，并通过应用9.4特斯拉的高分辨率MRI来确定它们与皮质的连接轮廓。由于9.4特斯拉高fi场强磁共振成像增加的信号/噪声提供了更好的空间和时间分辨率，我们希望确定这些核团中的功能亚基。使用专用的T1和T2加权序列和定量敏感性图，我们的目标是：a)评估BG的四个核团的解剖轮廓；b)在健康对照组中进行高分辨率(1mm3)静息状态(Rs-fMRI)和任务相关功能MRI(TASK-fMRI)测量；c)识别这些核团内的功能亚基；以及d)分析它们与i)皮质区域和ii)丘脑不同亚基的连接模式。最后，我们计划分析III)这些结构在静止和不同任务条件下是否存在总体对应和一致性。我们假设存在一个可靠的、可重现的BG功能分区，它可以通过高分辨率成像来识别。此外，我们预计休息和任务之间的分离和连接将有所不同，因为它受到正在进行的运动、躯体感觉和边缘加工的影响。