title: Microscopic functional specificity can be predicted from fMRI signals in ventral visual areas.
abstract: Functional areas specialized for recognition can be activated by a non-preferred stimulus as well as a preferred stimulus. The functional magnetic resonance imaging signals detected in response to different stimuli in an area may have the same or different amplitudes. However, it is uncertain whether the responses originate from the same neuronal populations or heterogeneous ones. To address this concern, we propose a novel method that uses multi-echo echo-planar imaging sequences to evaluate changes in the transverse relaxation profile caused by stimulation. According to this method, the areas related with visual recognition, i.e. fusiform face area and parahippocampal place area, have different transverse relaxation profiles to preferred and non-preferred stimuli, which can be considered as reflecting a difference in neuronal population processing stimuli in those areas. The proposed method can be useful for probing the microscopic functional specificity of brain areas.
authors.affiliation: Kansei Fukushi Research Institute, Tohoku Fukushi University, Sendai, Japan; Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Daehun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Uk-Su
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Kansei Fukushi Research Institute, Tohoku Fukushi University, Sendai, Japan; Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: sung@tfu-mail.tfu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yul-Wan
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Sung
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D017352:Echo-Planar Imaging / Q000379:methods; D005145:Face; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Category-selective; FFA; Multiecho imaging; Neuronal population; PPA; Transverse relaxation profile