Peripheral contributions to resting state brain dynamics

The correlational structure of brain activity dynamics in the absence of stimuli or behavior is often taken to reveal intrinsic properties of neural function. To test the limits of this assumption, we analyzed peripheral contributions to resting state activity measured by fMRI in unanesthetized, chemically immobilized male rats that emulate human neuroimaging conditions. We find that perturbation of somatosensory input channels modifies correlation strengths that relate somatosensory areas both to one another and to higher-order brain regions, despite the absence of ostensible stimuli or movements. Resting state effects are mediated by the same peripheral and thalamic structures that relay responses to overt sensory stimuli. The impact of basal peripheral input is reduced in a rat model of autism, which displays both lower somatosensory functional connectivity and insensitivity to vibrissa inactivation. These results demonstrate the influence of extrinsic influences on resting state brain phenotypes in health and disease.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2024-12-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55064-6
Primary Topic
Neural dynamics and brain function
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Peripheral contributions to resting state brain dynamics

Mitul Desai, Dimitris A. Pinotsis, Elizabeth DeTienne, Miriam Schwalm et al.
Nature Communications
Neural dynamics and brain function
article

Peripheral contributions to resting state brain dynamics

Mitul Desai, Dimitris A. Pinotsis, Elizabeth DeTienne, Miriam Schwalm, Alan Jasanoff, E.J. Fagan, Sarah Bricault, Jan-Philipp Fränken, Sureshkumar Muthupalani, Miranda Dawson, Nan Li, Ji‐Young Lee, AJ Becker, Kathryn A. Chung
article en

Abstract

The correlational structure of brain activity dynamics in the absence of stimuli or behavior is often taken to reveal intrinsic properties of neural function. To test the limits of this assumption, we analyzed peripheral contributions to resting state activity measured by fMRI in unanesthetized, chemically immobilized male rats that emulate human neuroimaging conditions. We find that perturbation of somatosensory input channels modifies correlation strengths that relate somatosensory areas both to one another and to higher-order brain regions, despite the absence of ostensible stimuli or movements. Resting state effects are mediated by the same peripheral and thalamic structures that relay responses to overt sensory stimuli. The impact of basal peripheral input is reduced in a rat model of autism, which displays both lower somatosensory functional connectivity and insensitivity to vibrissa inactivation. These results demonstrate the influence of extrinsic influences on resting state brain phenotypes in health and disease.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 15(1)
City, University of London (GB), Wellesley College (US), Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), University of Edinburgh (GB)
Parkinson's Disease Foundation, UK Research and Innovation, European Commission, National Institutes of Health, Simons Center for the Social Brain, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Openalex Percentile: Top 75%
Neural dynamics and brain function
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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