Ultra-high field parallel imaging of the superior parietal lobule during mental maze solving.

Full Abstract

We used ultra-high field (7 T) fMRI and parallel imaging to scan the superior parietal lobule (SPL) of human subjects as they mentally traversed a maze path in one of four directions (up, down, left, right). A counterbalanced design for maze presentation and a quasi-isotropic voxel (1.46 x 1.46 x 2 mm thick) collection were implemented. Fifty-one percent of single voxels in the SPL were tuned to the direction of the maze path. Tuned voxels were distributed throughout the SPL, bilaterally. A nearest neighbor analysis revealed a "honeycomb" arrangement such that voxels tuned to a particular direction tended to occur in clusters. Three-dimensional (3D) directional clusters were identified in SPL as oriented centroids traversing the cortical depth. There were 13 same-direction clusters per hemisphere containing 22 voxels per cluster, on the average; the mean nearest-neighbor, same-direction intercluster distance was 9.4 mm. These results provide a much finer detail of the directional tuning in SPL, as compared to those obtained previously at 4 T (Gourtzelidis et al. Exp Brain Res 165:273-282, 2005). The more accurate estimates of quantitative clustering parameters in 3D brain space in this study were made possible by the higher signal-to-noise and contrast-to-noise ratios afforded by the higher magnetic field of 7 T as well as the quasi-isotropic design of voxel data collection.

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Author information

Author/s: Jerde, Trenton A (TA); Lewis, Scott M (SM); Goerke, Ute (U); Gourtzelidis, Pavlos (P); Tzagarakis, Charidimos (C); Lynch, Joshua (J); Moeller, Steen (S); Van de Moortele, Pierre-François (PF); Adriany, Gregor (G); Trangle, Jeran (J); Ugurbil, Kâmil (K); Georgopoulos, Apostolos P (AP);

Affiliation: Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.

Grants: P30 NS057091 (Agency:United States NINDS) ; P41 008079 (Agency:United States PHS) ; RR08079 (Agency:United States NCRR)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

Journal: Experimental brain research. Experimentelle Hirnforschung. Expérimentation cérébrale (Exp Brain Res), published in Germany. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jun; vol 187 (issue 4) : pp 551-61

Dates: Created 2008/05/22; Completed 2008/07/22;

PMID: 18305932, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Analysis of Variance
Brain Mapping
Cluster Analysis
Female
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods

Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods
Male
Maze Learning - physiology
Mental Processes - physiology
Oxygen - blood
Parietal Lobe - blood supply; physiology
Photic Stimulation - methods
Regression Analysis

Associated Chemicals: Oxygen (7782-44-7)

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