Advanced Magnetic Resonance Techniques for Rapid Non-Invasive Monitoring of Neuromuscular Activity

拟议的项目侧重于评估骨骼肌，运动和脑肌相互作用。在运动前、运动中和运动后，将以前所未有的方式使用基于血氧水平依赖（BOLD）信号的功能磁共振成像（fMRI）对大脑和肌肉进行评估。此外，肌电图（EMG）和脑电图（EEG）将与MRI同时进行，以记录两种组织的电活动。此外，由于钠离子（Na+）进出细胞的运动是组织电活动的驱动力之一，因此细胞内肌和细胞外肌（Nai Nae）在脑与脑电图和肌肉中与肌电活动的变化有关。这个高度创新的项目是独一无二的，因为它使用了一个内孔MRI兼容的Lode循环劳力计，MRI兼容64通道EEG和8通道EMG系统。此外，还没有研究同时评估人类大脑/肌肉在运动中的活动。***长期目标：***1)了解骨骼肌BOLD和Nai信号与肌电活动的关系，使用肌电图测量。***2)确定运动对肌肉BOLD信号的贡献和可以纠正的方式。***3)了解不同运动方式激活骨骼肌时脑功能（fMRI、EEG和Nai/Nae）的时空局部变化。***4)在不同的运动模式下，通过EEG、fMRI和Nai/Nae MRI与肌电图、BOLD和Nai信号进行脑活动的时间关联。***5)在比较肌肉伸展和屈曲、等长力和等速力时，确定运动过程中大脑和肌肉激活的时空相关性。***目的：***1)发展无创MRI方法来暂时评估体内生理。***2)提高这些测量的执行速度***3)开发可以证实MRI测量的新方法。***科学方法总结：***将在健康志愿者进行一系列不同负荷/强度的运动范式（等长运动和等速运动）之前、期间和之后对脑部和腿部骨骼肌进行BOLD MR成像和Na-MRI测量。将进行相关性和一致性分析来比较组织BOLD和肌电图活动。肌肉空间活动将与大脑活动的时间变化进行比较。采用相控阵射频线圈和压缩传感技术加速Na-MRI采集速度。

The proposed project focuses on the evaluation of skeletal muscle, exercise, and brain-muscle interaction. In an unprecedented fashion brain and muscle will be evaluated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI, based on the blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal) methods prior to, during and after exercise. In addition, electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalography (EEG) will be done concurrent with MRI to record electrical activity in both tissues. Also, because the movement of sodium ions (Na+) in and out of cells is one of the driving forces of electrical activity in the tissues, intra and extracellular muscle (Nai Nae) will be related in brain to EEG and in muscle to changing EMG activity. This highly innovative project is unique due to use of an in-bore MRI compatible Lode cycle ergometer, MRI compatible 64 channel EEG and 8 channel EMG systems. Furthermore, no research has ever been performed to concurrently assess human brain/muscle activity during exercise.***Long term Goals:***1) To understand how skeletal muscle BOLD and Nai Nae signals relate to muscle electrical activity, measured using EMG. ***2) To determine how motion contributes to and can be corrected for in muscle BOLD signals.***3) To understand spatially and temporally localized changes in brain function (fMRI, EEG and Nai/Nae) when activating skeletal muscle with differing kinds of exercise. ***4) To temporally correlate brain activity from EEG, fMRI and Nai/Nae MRI with muscle EMG, BOLD and Nai Nae signals, and under various exercise paradigms. ***5) To determine spatial and temporal correlations between brain and muscle activation during exercise, when comparing muscle extension and flexion, and isometric and isokinetic force.***Objectives: ***1) Development of non-invasive MRI approaches to temporally assess physiology in vivo.***2) To enhanced the speed at which these measures can be performed***3) To develop novel methods that can corroborate MRI measures.***Summary of Scientific Approach:***BOLD MR imaging, and Na-MRI measures will be performed in brain and leg skeletal muscles before, during and following a range of exercise paradigms (isometric and isokinetic) with differing load/intensity, in healthy volunteers. Correlation and coherence analysis will be done to compare tissue BOLD and EMG activity. Muscle spatial activation will be compared to temporal changes in brain activation. Accelerated Na-MRI acquisition speed will be done using phased array RF coils and compressed sensing.