Spatiotemporal Activation Mapping for Enhanced Neural Activity Detection in Direct Imaging of Neuronal Activity (DIANA) fMRI

Motivation: Identifying neural activation regions is crucial for understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of brain networks. Goal(s): This study aimed to develop an effective method to pinpoint specific neural activation areas in the brain, moving beyond conventional neuroanatomically defined functional brain regions. Approach: Here, we proposed a spatiotemporal activation mapping, which leverages timing information such as peak DIANA response times. Results: Using this method, we successfully observed DIANA responses in the thalamocortical pathway from VPL to S1FL in anesthetized mice during forelimb electrical stimulation at 11.7T. Impact: Spatiotemporal activation mapping is expected to enhance our understanding of sensory information processing across the brain, by enabling DIANA fMRI to detect specific brain activation areas, ultimately contributing to realistic modeling of dynamic brain networks at the neural circuit level.