Neural and metabolic activity in vision and attention

描述（由申请人提供）： 目前用于人脑功能成像的方法不直接记录神经活动，而是测量神经活动引起的代谢活动。相比之下，我们对人类大脑功能的理解大部分来自动物的电生理学研究，这些研究允许直接访问认知功能背后的神经信号。很难弥合神经和代谢活动之间的差距;它们之间的相互关系相当复杂，取决于几个生物和实验因素。我们建议通过使用一种新型的多光谱探针来研究神经，代谢和血液动力学过程之间的关系，该探针允许同时测量神经，代谢和血液动力学信号：来自多个孤立的单细胞的尖峰活动，局部场电位，EEG，局部灌注O2和局部血流。该系统将用于量化和表征人类认知功能的清醒行为动物模型中神经生理学和代谢测量之间的关系。随后的实验将使用多光谱探头来研究视觉功能基础研究中的神经、代谢和血液动力学信号。一种灵活且便宜的多光谱探头，可以与日常神经生理记录相结合，这将使广泛的神经生理学家能够定期同时测量神经，代谢和血液动力学活动。更广泛的神经生理学团体通过常规使用这种探针获得的信息可能会对我们对神经成像实验中获得的数据的解释和理解产生巨大影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Current methods for functional imaging of the human brain do not record neural activity directly, but instead measure metabolic activity consequent to neural activity. In contrast, much of our understanding of the function of the human brain comes from electrophysiological studies in animals that allow direct access to the neural signals underlying cognitive function. It is difficult to bridge the gap between neural and metabolic activity; their interrelationship is quite complex and depends on several biological and experimental factors. We propose to investigate the relationship between neural, metabolic and hemodynamic processes by use of a novel multispectral probe that allows simultaneous measurement of neural, metabolic and hemodynamic signals: spiking activity from multiple isolated single cells, local field potentials, EEG, local perfused 02 and local blood flow. This system will be used to quantify and characterize the relationship between neurophysiological and metabolic measures in an awake behaving animal model of human cognitive function. Subsequent experiments will use the multispectral probe to investigate neural, metabolic and hemodynamic signals in basic studies of visual function. A multispectral probe that is flexible and cheap enough to be integrated with daily neurophysiological recordings will enable a wide range of neurophysiologists to routinely make simultaneous measurements of neural, metabolic and hemodynamic activity. Information gained by the routine use of such a probe by the wider neurophysiological community could have dramatic effects on our interpretation and understanding of data acquired in neuroimaging experiments.