这项研究得到了启动资金，以金融衍生工具。堪萨斯州是支持夏季助学金从阿尔伯塔传统基金会的医学研究。金融衍生工具是支持青年研究者奖从全国联盟为精神分裂症和抑郁症的研究，并从加拿大精神病学研究基金会的俄共奖。作者衷心感谢彼得赛里斯，协助数据分析与数据收集和克里斯蒂娜孙明扬援助。

1。刺激，任务的设计和实验协议我们的刺激是创建使用7.0波塞尔<a href="http://poser.smithmicro.com/poser.html">（</a> http://poser.smithmicro.com/poser.html），他们提出使用CIGAL <a href="http://www.nitrc.org/projects/cigal/">（</a> http://www.nitrc.org/projects/cigal/） 。 <ol><li>该任务由一系列10秒的动画影片的商业环境中的非言语主客相互作用。该问题的意见由一台主机（社会交往的条件）或纸板切出的一台主机（没有社会交往/控制条件）迎接客人。 </li><li>主机可以显示，现正接受进一步的社会交往（方法的条件），或行为，可能表明在进一步的互动缺乏兴趣（避免的条件）的行为。 </li><li>除了这型主机所显示的行为的基本操作，其他操作也可能被包括在内。例如，在一些试验中的字符（通常是一半）可能握手，问候协议的一部分，而其他人，他们什么也不做。该操作允许调查效果的行为4，正规的身体接触，这可能也取决于文化背景的观众（例如，西欧与东亚），预计将有不同的意义。 </li><li>其他操作可能涉及个人（ 我 ）从观众的角度的变化为“人情味”（其他）。这种操作的目的是挖掘与自我参照加工5相关的神经网络，并允许识别反应，是由 6,7个人参与（例如，避免行为的影响加剧，如果采取个人）调制。这两种观点之间的交替，可以在每次试验开始时线索。 </li><li>其次率主机上的能力，守信用，并在5点李克特量表（0 =没有在所有/ 4 =非常）做生意的兴趣，要求主体的评级屏幕视频;这些评级应平衡整个试验，以避免订单的影响。 </li><li>在视频字符显示的行为（方法与避免），种族​​背景（白人与非白人），衬衫的颜色，和发型的平衡。的基本方面，可能会影响社会交往（例如，吸引力）也应加以控制（例如，通过脱线的主机收视率），以确保有系统的试验类别之间没有差异，从而避免可能的混淆（例如，如果主机显示避免 ​​的行为，也有较低的总体吸引力分数）。最后，给出的证据表明，与女性主机的互动，更有效地影响我们目前的研究决定（例如， 财务）4，所有主机是女性，但也可以跨主机的性别平衡试验-例如，50％女性与男性50％。 </li><li>实验分成试验运行/块，让参与者的休息时间，和避免大量的数据在设备故障的情况下损失。此外，为避免偏颇的数据丢失，最理想的条件/同样应在每块代表的审判，根据每个操作（例如，社会交往，性别，摇匀/无震动）。运行秩序，也是参与者之间的平衡。每次运行开始与一个固定6秒，让MR信号的稳定。审间的时间间隔8秒如下每部电影和审判结束每次运行/块。 </li><li>应当指出，虽然涉及目前的设计增加了在确定的社会认知神经关联的生态有效性的静态刺激的实验设计相比，这种方法也带来了限制和挑战。这类挑战之一是需要保持的“背景”方面（例如，环境，社会交往发生或不相关的行为方面）尽可能恒定在操纵利益的行为变量的情况下，（例如构成区分有针对性的社会互动）的手势，这可能是难以实现动态刺激的条件。不过，我们认为现时的做法，增加刺激社会神经科学的研究和脑成像工具的参与，需要合理控制实验操作相关的限制使用的生态有效性的目标之间达到合理的权衡，以便有效有针对性的行为的神经关联的推论。 </li></ol> 2。准备扫描的主题主题通常是招募MRI扫描的基础上，如金属关节置换，其年龄，健康，第一语言和个人的风险因素。何wever，根据研究的目的，其他因素也可能被考虑，包括种族/民族背景，社会经济地位，药物使用史。所有受试者提供书面知情同意，方可运行实验的协议，这是由伦理委员会的批准。 在进入扫描室<ol><li>在一天的扫描，参与者被要求完成问卷调查，评估目前的状态，他们的思想，以确保他们不会过分焦虑或压抑实验前8，9。这些评估也可以用于结合fMRI数据，探讨如何在扫描时的情绪状态可能会影响参与者的反应。此外，在扫描后评估结合，可以使用这些初步评估，以确保参与者的整体情绪状态不会改变，他们在参与实验的结果显着。最后，还可以进行其他行为/个性评估，进一步探讨如何个人在特定方面的个性的变化，在社会背景的影响（如社会焦虑，守信）反应可能会影响参与者的反应，在研究过程中 10 ，11。 </li><li>扫描之前，参与者是在扫描程序的详细通知，并给出具体行为的任务指令（如下所述）。为了避免不适和增加对任务的熟悉程度，参与者也给出了缩写实践运行的任务。 </li></ol>进入扫描室<ol start="3"><li>主题是指示躺在扫描床上仰卧，头部的额外的缓冲，以确保在扫描过程中的舒适性，并尽量减少运动。为了进一步减少头部运动，非粘合面的长度的磁带可能被包裹围绕这一主题的额头轻轻。如果首选，缓冲也可能被划归的主题所提出的膝盖，以减轻腰背肌张力。 </li><li>科目耳保护（耳塞）以及隔离耳机与沟通，在MRI扫描实验者。 </li><li>定位主题的右手舒适的响应中，从而使左手被用于支持或其他测量（例如，皮肤电导反应）。紧急停止按钮也应该放在附近，使这个问题可能表明任何迫切需要停止扫描仪。 </li><li>在开始收集数据之前，它是至关重要的，以确保主体可以清楚地看到屏幕投影，为刺激呈现和响应按钮的正常工作。 </li></ol> 3。数据记录和处理扫描参数我们收集使用1.5特斯拉西门子奏鸣曲扫描器的核磁共振MRI检查记录数据。我们的解剖图像的三维MPRAGE解剖系列（重复时间TR = 1600毫秒;回波时间TE = 3.82毫秒;片数= 112;体素大小= 1 × 1 ×1毫米），和功能图像包括28个功能片系列（体素大小为4x4x4毫米），收购轴向使用echoplanar序列（TR = 2000毫秒，TE = 40 ms的观点视野领域= 256 ×256毫米），从而使覆盖全脑。 数据分析我们用在内部基于Matlab工具相结合的统计参数映射（SPM2/SPM5）。前处理涉及的典型步骤：质量保证，TR对齐，运动校正，共同登记，规范化，和平滑的（8毫米³内核）12。 <ol><li>数据分析结合体素的，明智的和感兴趣的区域（ROI）的方法比较感兴趣的条件（例如，社会交往与非社会交往）相关的大脑活动。 </li><li>全脑体素明智分析的产生，识别与处理，社会互动，评估和投资回报率分析的基础允许针对性的调查，在特定的大脑区域的反应，这是作为被确定的先验相关的大脑区域网络的统计地图社会认知网络的一部分（图1A） 。也可用于投资回报率分析中提取的用于演示目的（图1B）的fMRI信号。我们用P = 0.001强度阈值和10个连续体素的程度阈值。除了 ​​参与数据分析的这些典型的方法，分析数据的其他方法也可能被受聘为互补的方法在研究调查的社会认知 13，14神经关联。 </li><li>最后，还可以进行行为数据（例如，守信评级）和/或分数索引个性措施（例如，特质焦虑）的脑成像数据的相关性，研究大脑如何活动的合作VARIES行为和人格的个体差异。 </li></ol> 4。代表性的成果<img src="/files/ftp_upload/2379/2379fig1.jpg" alt="图1"/> 图1。在观察社会互动的活动增加在社会认知网络的社会交往与no-interaction/control试验比较，发现在典型的社会认知的大脑区域的活动，包括颞上沟（STS）的内，外侧和内侧前额叶皮层（MPFC，B＆D），杏仁核（艾米，C）。 “激活地图”是叠加在大脑中显示的高分辨率图像横向（左，右侧板）和日冕（中间面板）的意见;彩条显示激活地图的t值梯度（从数据为基础15名与会者），反映大脑活动的时间锁定方法的onsets /避免行为。线图说明了每次试验的类型和TR（1 TR = 2秒），从功能的ROI提取的fMRI信号的时间课程。 L =左，R =右。

<ol>
	<li>Adolphs, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+social+brain:+neural+basis+of+social+knowledge.">The social brain: neural basis of social knowledge.</a> Annu Rev Psychol. 60, 693-716 (2009).</li><li>Todorov, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evaluating+faces+on+trustworthiness:+an+extension+of+systems+for+recognition+of+emotions+signaling+approach/avoidance+behaviors.">Evaluating faces on trustworthiness: an extension of systems for recognition of emotions signaling approach/avoidance behaviors.</a> Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1124, 208-224 (2008).</li><li>Pelphrey, K. A., Morris, J. 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这里介绍实验设计允许的观察和解释肢体语言的神经关联调查。这种设计有可能推进我们的知识在社会交往中所涉及的脑机制，并扩大我们如何结合不同类型的身体语言或作为守信的社会观念，使决定在互动的社会环境3的看法的理论模型。这些知识可以应用在个人和企业设置各种，并能提高我们在社会交往中的临床赤字的理解。这种设计的成功取决于正确的任务操作，生态有效刺激的参?...

brain imaging investigation of the neural correlates of observing virtual social interactions

衡量社会交往的能力是在别人的意图的评估是至关重要的。面部表情和身体语言等因素影响我们的决定，在个人生活和职业生活，都1。这些“ 朋友还是敌人 ”的判断往往是根据第一印象，这反过来可能会影响我们的决定“的方式或避免 ”。以往的研究调查的社会认知神经关联倾向于使用静态面部刺激2。在这里，我们说明了一个实验的设计，其全身的动画人物功能磁共振成像（fMRI）记录一起使用。 15名参加者在业务设置中的主客相互作用的短影片精华片段，而fMRI数据记录;在每部电影结束时，与会者还提供了主机行为的评级。这种设计的模仿现实生活更加紧密地的情况，并因此可能有助于更好地理解健康的行为在社会交往中的神经机制，以争取在这种临床条件下的社会行为洞察赤字可能造成社会的焦虑和自闭症3 。

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions at JoVE.com

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions

本文演示了一个实验设计，在全身的动画人物功能磁共振成像（fMRI）来研究遵守虚拟社会互动的神经关联一起使用。

观察虚拟社会交往中的神经关联的脑成像研究

The ability to gauge social interactions is crucial in the assessment of others&#x2019; intentions. Factors such as facial expressions and body language ...

brain-imaging-investigation-neural-correlates-observing-virtual

Research

JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

11.5K 次观看.  University of Alberta. 本文演示了一个实验设计，在全身的动画人物功能磁共振成像（fMRI）来研究遵守虚拟社会互动的神经关联一起使用。

视频: Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions

Combining Behavioral Endocrinology and Experimental Economics: Testosterone and Social Decision Making

Behavioral endocrinological research in humans as well as in animals suggests that testosterone plays a key role in social interactions. Studies in rodents have shown a direct link between testosterone and aggressive behavior1 and folk wisdom adapts these findings to humans, suggesting that testosterone induces antisocial, egoistic or even aggressive behavior2. However, many researchers doubt a direct testosterone-aggression link in humans, arguing instead that testosterone is primarily involved in status-related behavior3,4. As a high status can also be achieved by aggressive and antisocial means it can be difficult to distinguish between anti-social and status seeking behavior.
We therefore set up an experimental environment, in which status can only be achieved by prosocial means. In a double-blind and placebo-controlled experiment, we administered a single sublingual dose of 0.5 mg of testosterone (with a hydroxypropyl-&beta;-cyclodextrin carrier) to 121 women and investigated their social interaction behavior in an economic bargaining paradigm. Real monetary incentives are at stake in this paradigm; every player A receives a certain amount of money and has to make an offer to another player B on how to share the money. If B accepts, she gets what was offered and player A keeps the rest. If B refuses the offer, nobody gets anything. A status seeking player A is expected to avoid being rejected by behaving in a prosocial way, i.e. by making higher offers.
The results show that if expectations about the hormone are controlled for, testosterone administration leads to a significant increase in fair bargaining offers compared to placebo. The role of expectations is reflected in the fact that subjects who report that they believe to have received testosterone make lower offers than those who say they believe that they were treated with a placebo. These findings suggest that the experimental economics approach is sensitive for detecting neurobiological effects as subtle as those achieved by administration of hormones. Moreover, the findings point towards the importance of both psychosocial as well as neuroendocrine factors in determining the influence of testosterone on human social behavior.

The procedure described in this protocol shows that testosterone administration and folk beliefs about testosterone may be associated with directly opposed social behaviors.

睾酮和社会决策，结合行为内分泌和实验经济学：

Behavioral endocrinological research in humans as well as in animals suggests that testosterone plays a key role in social interactions. Studies in ...

科研

神经科学

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Recollection of emotional autobiographical memories (AMs) is important to healthy cognitive and affective functioning 1 - remembering positive AMs is associated with increased personal well-being and self-esteem 2, whereas remembering and ruminating on negative AMs may lead to affective disorders 3. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the brain mechanisms underlying AM retrieval in general (reviewed in 4, 5), less is known about the effect of emotion on the subjective re-experience of AMs and the associated neural correlates. This is in part due to the fact that, unlike the investigations of the emotion effect on memory for laboratory-based microevents (reviewed in 6, 7-9), often times AM studies do not have a clear focus on the emotional aspects of remembering personal events (but see 10). Here, we present a protocol that allows investigation of the neural correlates of recollecting emotional AMs using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Cues for these memories are collected prior to scanning by means of an autobiographical memory questionnaire (AMQ), therefore allowing for proper selection of emotional AMs based on their phenomenological properties (i.e., intensity, vividness, personal significance). This protocol can be used in healthy and clinical populations alike.

We present a protocol that allows investigation of the neural correlates of recollecting emotional autobiographical memories, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. This protocol can be used with both healthy and clinical participants.

情感自传回忆的神经关联的脑成像研究

Recollection of emotional autobiographical memories (AMs) is important to healthy cognitive and affective functioning 1 - remembering positive AMs is ...

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation

The ability to control/regulate emotions is an important coping mechanism in the face of emotionally stressful situations. Although significant progress has been made in understanding conscious/deliberate emotion regulation (ER), less is known about non-conscious/automatic ER and the associated neural correlates. This is in part due to the problems inherent in the unitary concepts of automatic and conscious processing1. Here, we present a protocol that allows investigation of the neural correlates of both deliberate and automatic ER using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This protocol allows new avenues of inquiry into various aspects of ER. For instance, the experimental design allows manipulation of the goal to regulate emotion (conscious vs. non-conscious), as well as the intensity of the emotional challenge (high vs. low). Moreover, it allows investigation of both immediate (emotion perception) and long-term effects (emotional memory) of ER strategies on emotion processing. Therefore, this protocol may contribute to better understanding of the neural mechanisms of emotion regulation in healthy behaviour, and to gaining insight into possible causes of deficits in depression and anxiety disorders in which emotion dysregulation is often among the core debilitating features.

We present a protocol that allows investigation of the neural correlates of deliberate and automatic emotion regulation, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. This protocol can be used in healthy participants, both young and older, as well as in clinical patients.

情绪调节的神经关联的脑成像研究

The ability to control/regulate emotions is an important coping mechanism in the face of emotionally stressful situations. Although significant progress ...

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Emotional events tend to be better remembered than non-emotional events1,2. One goal of cognitive and affective neuroscientists is 
to understand the neural mechanisms underlying this enhancing effect of emotion on memory. A method that has proven particularly influential in the 
investigation of the memory-enhancing effect of emotion is the so-called subsequent memory paradigm (SMP). This method was originally used to investigate the 
neural correlates of non-emotional memories3, and more recently we and others also applied it successfully to studies of emotional memory (reviewed in4, 5-7). 
Here, we describe a protocol that allows investigation of the neural correlates of the memory-enhancing effect of emotion using the SMP in conjunction with 
event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). An important feature of the SMP is that it allows separation of brain activity specifically 
associated with memory from more general activity associated with perception. Moreover, in the context of investigating the impact of emotional stimuli, 
SMP allows identification of brain regions whose activity is susceptible to emotional modulation of both general/perceptual and memory-specific processing. 
This protocol can be used in healthy subjects8-15, as well as in clinical patients where there are alterations in the neural correlates of emotion perception 
and biases in remembering emotional events, such as those suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)16, 17.

We present a protocol that uses functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural correlates of the memory-enhancing effect of emotion. This protocol allows identification of brain activity specifically linked to memory-related processing, contrary to more general perceptual processing, and can be used with healthy and clinical populations.

脑成像的情感记忆的促进作用调查

Emotional events tend to be better remembered than non-emotional events1,2. One goal of cognitive and affective neuroscientists is 
to understand the ...

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Impairing Effect of Emotion on Cognition

Emotions can impact cognition by exerting both enhancing (e.g., better memory for emotional events) and impairing (e.g., increased emotional distractibility) effects (reviewed in 1). Complementing our recent protocol 2 describing a method that allows investigation of the neural correlates of the memory-enhancing effect of emotion (see also 1, 3-5), here we present a protocol that allows investigation of the neural correlates of the detrimental impact of emotion on cognition. The main feature of this method is that it allows identification of reciprocal modulations between activity in a ventral neural system, involved in 'hot' emotion processing (HotEmo system), and a dorsal system, involved in higher-level 'cold' cognitive/executive processing (ColdEx system), which are linked to cognitive performance and to individual variations in behavior (reviewed in 1). Since its initial introduction 6, this design has proven particularly versatile and influential in the elucidation of various aspects concerning the neural correlates of the detrimental impact of emotional distraction on cognition, with a focus on working memory (WM), and of coping with such distraction 7,11, in both healthy 8-11 and clinical participants 12-14.

We present a protocol that allows investigation of the neural mechanisms mediating the detrimental impact of emotion on cognition, using functional magnetic resonance imaging. This protocol can be used with both healthy and clinical participants.

脑成像的情感对认知损害的影响调查

Emotions can impact cognition by exerting both enhancing (e.g., better memory for emotional events) and impairing (e.g., increased emotional ...

Co-analysis of Brain Structure and Function using fMRI and Diffusion-weighted Imaging

The study of complex computational systems is facilitated by network maps, such as circuit diagrams. Such mapping is particularly informative when studying the brain, as the functional role that a brain area fulfills may be largely defined by its connections to other brain areas. In this report, we describe a novel, non-invasive approach for relating brain structure and function using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This approach, a combination of structural imaging of long-range fiber connections and functional imaging data, is illustrated in two distinct cognitive domains, visual attention and face perception. Structural imaging is performed with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and fiber tractography, which track the diffusion of water molecules along white-matter fiber tracts in the brain (Figure 1). By visualizing these fiber tracts, we are able to investigate the long-range connective architecture of the brain. The results compare favorably with one of the most widely-used techniques in DWI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DTI is unable to resolve complex configurations of fiber tracts, limiting its utility for constructing detailed, anatomically-informed models of brain function. In contrast, our analyses reproduce known neuroanatomy with precision and accuracy. This advantage is partly due to data acquisition procedures: while many DTI protocols measure diffusion in a small number of directions (e.g., 6 or 12), we employ a diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI)1, 2 protocol which assesses diffusion in 257 directions and at a range of magnetic gradient strengths. Moreover, DSI data allow us to use more sophisticated methods for reconstructing acquired data. In two experiments (visual attention and face perception), tractography reveals that co-active areas of the human brain are anatomically connected, supporting extant hypotheses that they form functional networks. DWI allows us to create a "circuit diagram" and reproduce it on an individual-subject basis, for the purpose of monitoring task-relevant brain activity in networks of interest.

We describe a novel approach for simultaneous analysis of brain function and structure using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We assess brain structure with high-resolution diffusion-weighted imaging and white-matter fiber tractography. Unlike standard structural MRI, these techniques allow us to directly relate anatomical connectivity to functional properties of brain networks.

使用功能磁共振成像和弥散加权成像脑结构与功能分析

The study of complex computational systems is facilitated by network maps, such as circuit diagrams. Such mapping is particularly informative when ...

Peering into the Dynamics of Social Interactions: Measuring Play Fighting in Rats

Play fighting in the rat involves attack and defense of the nape of the neck, which if contacted, is gently nuzzled with the snout. Because the movements of one animal are countered by the actions of its partner, play fighting is a complex, dynamic interaction. This dynamic complexity raises methodological problems about what to score for experimental studies. We present a scoring schema that is sensitive to the correlated nature of the actions performed. The frequency of play fighting can be measured by counting the number of playful nape attacks occurring per unit time. However, playful defense, as it can only occur in response to attack, is necessarily a contingent measure that is best measured as a percentage (#attacks defended/total # attacks X 100%). How a particular attack is defended against can involve one of several tactics, and these are contingent on defense having taken place; consequently, the type of defense is also best expressed contingently as a percentage. Two experiments illustrate how these measurements can be used to detect the effect of brain damage on play fighting even when there is no effect on overall playfulness. That is, the schema presented here is designed to detect and evaluate changes in the content of play following an experimental treatment.

Play fighting in the rat involves attack and defense of the nape of the neck, which if contacted, is gently nuzzled with the snout. Because the movements of one animal are countered by the actions of its partner, play fighting is a complex, dynamic interaction. This dynamic complexity raises methodological problems about what to score for experimental studies. We present a scoring schema that is sensitive to the correlated nature of the actions performed. Two experiments illustrate how these measurements can be used to detect the effect of brain damage on play fighting even when there is no effect on overall playfulness. That is, the schema presented here is designed to detect and evaluate changes in the content of play following an experimental treatment.

窥视到社会相互作用的动力学测量打打架的影响

Play fighting in the rat involves attack and defense of the nape of the neck, which if contacted, is gently nuzzled with the snout. Because the movements ...

A Computer-assisted Multi-electrode Patch-clamp System

The patch-clamp technique is today the most well-established method for recording electrical activity from individual neurons or their subcellular compartments. Nevertheless, achieving stable recordings, even from individual cells, remains a time-consuming procedure of considerable complexity. Automation of many steps in conjunction with efficient information display can greatly assist experimentalists in performing a larger number of recordings with greater reliability and in less time. In order to achieve large-scale recordings we concluded the most efficient approach is not to fully automatize the process but to simplify the experimental steps and reduce the chances of human error while efficiently incorporating the experimenter's experience and visual feedback. With these goals in mind we developed a computer-assisted system which centralizes all the controls necessary for a multi-electrode patch-clamp experiment in a single interface, a commercially available wireless gamepad, while displaying experiment related information and guidance cues on the computer screen. Here we describe the different components of the system which allowed us to reduce the time required for achieving the recording configuration and substantially increase the chances of successfully recording large numbers of neurons simultaneously.

Multi-electrode patch-clamp recordings constitute a complex task. Here we show how, by automating of many of the experimental steps, it is possible to accelerate the process leading to qualitative improvement in performance and number of recordings.

计算机辅助多电极膜片钳系统

The patch-clamp technique is today the most  well-established method for recording electrical activity from individual  neurons or their subcellular ...

Imaging Neural Activity in the Primary Somatosensory Cortex Using Thy1-GCaMP6s Transgenic Mice

The mammalian brain exhibits marked symmetry across the sagittal plane. However, detailed description of neural dynamics in symmetric brain regions in adult mammalian animals remains elusive. In this study, we describe an experimental procedure for measuring calcium dynamics through dual optical windows above bilateral primary somatosensory corticies (S1) in Thy1-GCaMP6s transgenic mice using 2-photon (2P) microscopy. This method enables recordings and quantifications of neural activity in bilateral mouse brain regions one at a time in the same experiment for a prolonged period in vivo. Key aspects of this method, which can be completed within an hour, include minimally invasive surgery procedures for creating dual optical windows, and the use of 2P imaging. Although we only demonstrate the technique in the S1 area, the method can be applied to other regions of the living brain facilitating the elucidation of structural and functional complexities of brain neural networks.

Imaging Neural Activity in the Primary Somatosensory Cortex Using Thy1-GCaMP6s Transgenic Mice

We describe an experimental procedure for measuring neuronal activity through dual optical windows above bilateral primary somatosensory corticies (S1) in Thy1-GCaMP6s transgenic mice using 2-photon (2P) microscopy in vivo.

胸腺1-gmcmp6 转基因小鼠在原代体血源皮质中的成像神经活性

The mammalian brain exhibits marked symmetry across the sagittal plane. However, detailed description of neural dynamics in symmetric brain regions in ...

Real-time Video Projection in an MRI for Characterization of Neural Correlates Associated with Mirror Therapy for Phantom Limb Pain

Mirror therapy (MT) has been proposed as an effective rehabilitative strategy to alleviate pain symptoms in amputees with phantom limb pain (PLP). However, establishing the neural correlates associated with MT therapy have been challenging given that it is difficult to administer the therapy effectively within a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner environment. To characterize the functional organization of cortical regions associated with this rehabilitative strategy, we have developed a combined behavioral and functional neuroimaging protocol that can be applied in participants with a leg amputation. This novel approach allows participants to undergo MT within the MRI scanner environment by viewing real-time video images captured by a camera. The images are viewed by the participant through a system of mirrors and a monitor that the participant views while lying on the scanner bed. In this manner, functional changes in cortical areas of interest (e.g., sensorimotor cortex) can be characterized in response to the direct application of MT.

We present a novel combined behavioral and neuroimaging protocol employing real-time video projection for the purpose of characterizing the neural correlates associated with mirror therapy within the magnetic resonance imaging scanner environment in leg amputee subjects with phantom limb pain.