Toward an integrative neurovascular framework for studying brain networks.

TitleToward an integrative neurovascular framework for studying brain networks.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2022
AuthorsGuilbert J, Légaré A, De Koninck P, Desrosiers P, Desjardins M
JournalNeurophotonics
Volume9
Issue3
Pagination032211
Date Published2022 Jul
ISSN2329-423X
Abstract

Brain functional connectivity based on the measure of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals has become one of the most widely used measurements in human neuroimaging. However, the nature of the functional networks revealed by BOLD fMRI can be ambiguous, as highlighted by a recent series of experiments that have suggested that typical resting-state networks can be replicated from purely vascular or physiologically driven BOLD signals. After going through a brief review of the key concepts of brain network analysis, we explore how the vascular and neuronal systems interact to give rise to the brain functional networks measured with BOLD fMRI. This leads us to emphasize a view of the vascular network not only as a confounding element in fMRI but also as a functionally relevant system that is entangled with the neuronal network. To study the vascular and neuronal underpinnings of BOLD functional connectivity, we consider a combination of methodological avenues based on multiscale and multimodal optical imaging in mice, used in combination with computational models that allow the integration of vascular information to explain functional connectivity.

DOI10.1117/1.NPh.9.3.032211
Alternate JournalNeurophotonics
PubMed ID35434179
PubMed Central IDPMC8989057

Funding

Our research endeavors are made possible by the following agencies:

Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT)Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec   Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) - Conseil de recherche en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada (CRSNG)innovation.caHuman Frontier Science ProgramCanada First Research Excellence FundSentinelle Nord