Spontaneous brain activity relates to autonomic arousal.
Although possible sources and functions of the resting-state networks (RSNs) of the brain have been proposed, most evidence relies on circular logic and reverse inference. We propose that autonomic arousal provides an objective index of psychophysiological states during rest that may also function as a driving source of the activity and connectivity of RSNs. Recording blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal using functional magnetic resonance imaging and skin conductance simultaneously during rest in human subjects, we found that the spontaneous fluctuations of BOLD signals in key nodes of RSNs are associated with changes in nonspecific skin conductance response, a sensitive psychophysiological index of autonomic arousal. Our findings provide evidence of an important role for the autonomic nervous system to the spontaneous activity of the brain during "rest."
Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, New York 11367, USA. jin.fan@qc.cuny.edu
Jin
J
Fan
Pengfei
P
Xu
Nicholas T
NT
Van Dam
Tehila
T
Eilam-Stock
Xiaosi
X
Gu
Yue-jia
YJ
Luo
Patrick R
PR
Hof
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011601:Psychophysics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
D010100:Oxygen