Biofeedback of real-time fMRI to control activity in the orbitofrontal cortex

描述（由申请人提供）：强迫症是一种相对常见的衰弱性障碍，与眶额叶皮质过度活跃有关。目前的治疗对许多人无效，需要开发新的（最好是低风险的）临床干预措施。此外，与强迫症症状相关的眶额皮质过度活跃的神经生物学基础尚不清楚。拟议的研究项目通过开发一种方案来训练受试者控制与污染相关焦虑相关的眶额皮质区域的活动，使用实时功能磁共振成像（rt-fMRI）数据的生物反馈来解决这些问题。rt-fMRI数据的生物反馈是一种新的技术，它将受试者大脑特定区域的活动时间模式作为反馈信号提供给受试者。受试者可以尝试不同的认知策略，以确定哪些策略可以有效地影响感兴趣区域的大脑活动，从而获得对目标大脑区域的更大控制。拟议的研究项目考察了rt-fMRI数据的生物反馈是否能使健康受试者更好地控制与污染相关焦虑相关的眶额皮质区域。如果是这样，这项新技术可能为强迫症患者提供低风险、非侵入性的临床干预。此外，在生物反馈之前和之后，将检查眶额皮质和大脑其他区域之间的功能连接模式，以确定哪些大脑区域与眶额皮质的相互作用与受试者控制该区域活动的能力有关。这将使我们了解眶额活动模式中生物反馈相关变化背后的网络动力学。虽然这个研究项目的重点是开发一种专门用于治疗和研究强迫症的方案，但该方法作为一种治疗干预和广泛的神经精神疾病的研究工具有着巨大的前景。然而，rt-fMRI数据的生物反馈是一项非常新颖的技术，需要像提议的项目这样的发展性研究来充分发挥其潜力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a relatively common and debilitating disorder associated with hyperactivity in the orbitofrontal cortex. Current treatments are ineffective for many individuals and the development of new (preferably low-risk) clinical interventions are needed. Furthermore, the neurobiological basis of hyperactivity in orbitofrontal cortex associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms is not well understood. The proposed research project addresses these issues by developing a protocol to train subjects to control activity in a region of their orbitofrontal cortex associated with contamination-related anxiety using biofeedback of real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI) data. Biofeedback of rt-fMRI data is a new technique in which the temporal pattern of activity in a specific region of a subject's brain is provided as a feedback signal to the subject. The subject can experiment with different cognitive strategies to identify those that are effective in influencing brain activity in the region of interest, thereby gaining greater control over the target brain region. The proposed research project examines whether biofeedback of rt-fMRI data can enable healthy subjects to develop greater control over the area of their orbitofrontal cortex associated with contamination-related anxiety. If so, this new technique may yield a low- risk, non-invasive clinical intervention for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In addition, patterns of functional connectivity between the orbitofrontal cortex and other regions of the brain will be examined before and after biofeedback to identify those brain areas whose interactions with the orbitofrontal cortex are related to the ability of subjects to control activity in this area. This will inform our understanding of the network dynamics underlying biofeedback-related changes in orbitofrontal activity patterns. Although this research project is focused on developing a protocol specifically for treating and studying obsessive-compulsive disorder, the methodology has great promise as both a treatment intervention and as a research tool for a broad range of neuropsychiatric disorders. Biofeedback of rt-fMRI data is, however, a highly novel technique, and developmental studies such as the proposed project are needed to realize its full potential. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Real-time brain imaging can provide information regarding activity in specific brain areas almost as it is occurring (with only several seconds delay). By providing people with this information as a feedback signal, we aim to train them to control neural activity in particular regions of their brains and to examine how interactions between brain areas change as a result of such training. The proposed research develops this method as a tool for treating and studying obsessive-compulsive disorder in particular, although it has potential therapeutic and investigative utility for a wide range of mental disorders.