title: Examining the resting-state vascular connectivity using fMRA in comparison with fMRI: a preliminary study.
abstract: This study examined resting-state functional connectivity in the vascular system of the brain using functional magnetic resonance angiography (fMRA) with an ultra-high-field 7 T MRI. Four healthy individuals participated in the functional imaging study using fMRA and functional MRI (fMRI) for determination of vascular and blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) connectivity, respectively. We calculated voxel-wise connectivity maps and measured the correlation coefficients of the region of interest (ROI)-wise connectivity in the resting-state human brain. Z-map in the posterior cingulate cortex showed more correlated voxels in fMRA than fMRI. There was little or weak interhemispheric vascular connectivity using fMRA in the lateral parietal cortex and the lateral temporal cortex. In contrast, both vascular and BOLD interhemispheric correlations in the precentral gyrus were strong. Correlation coefficients for ROI-wise connectivity analysis were statistically different between fMRA and fMRI in the left and right lateral parietal cortex and lateral temporal cortex (P=0.029). Unlike BOLD connectivity, vascular connectivity showed little interhemispheric correlation in the default mode network. These results could provide the vascular connectivity on the basis of arterial response that can only be obtained by fMRA with an ultra-high-field environment along with further studies. Therefore, this method could provide additional and supplementary information for investigating the vascular effect in patients with cerebrovascular disease.
authors.affiliation: aBioimaging Research Team, Korea Basic Science Institute, Ochang, Chungbuk bNeuroscience Research Institute cDepartment of Radiological Science, College of Health Science, Gachon University dDepartment of Neurosurgery, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon eAdvanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, Korea.
authors.forename: Chan-A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Chang-Ki
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Young-Bo
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Zang-Hee
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000098:blood supply; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D012146:Rest
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen