Hemodynamic activity in the putamen during motor-observation: initial volunteers’ study with multi-echo EPI at 7 T

Motivation: : The basal ganglia are a set of subcortical nuclei crucial to motor processing. Their signal suffers from low contrast-to-noise ratio because of high iron deposition. Correspondingly, their participation during motor observation is not well established. Goal(s): We seek to demonstrate basal ganglia activity during motor observation. Approach: Using ultra high-field (7 T) functional MRI and a multi-echo acquisition approach, we scanned subjects during motor observation before and after motor execution. Results: On a preliminary set of 6 subjects, 4 showed clear hemodynamic signals in the putamen during observation. Those were prominent even before the actual execution of similar motor activity. Impact: Functional MRI studies have shown mixed results regarding whether the basal ganglia is active during motor observation. Using a small cohort of subjects, we demonstrate that motor observation does elicit a visible hemodynamic response. Pronounced individual differences invite further research.