Functional MRI of murine olfactory bulbs at 15.2T reveals characteristic activation patterns when stimulated by different odors
Abstract Thanks to its increased sensitivity, single-shot ultrahigh field functional MRI (UHF fMRI) could lead to valuable insight about subtle brain functions such as olfaction. However, UHF fMRI experiments targeting small organs next to air voids, such as the olfactory bulb, are severely affected...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39650-0 |
| _version_ | 1797576863395086336 |
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| author | Odélia Chitrit Qingjia Bao Aoling Cai Silvia Gabriela Chuartzman Noga Zilkha Rafi Haddad Tali Kimchi Lucio Frydman |
| author_facet | Odélia Chitrit Qingjia Bao Aoling Cai Silvia Gabriela Chuartzman Noga Zilkha Rafi Haddad Tali Kimchi Lucio Frydman |
| author_sort | Odélia Chitrit |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Thanks to its increased sensitivity, single-shot ultrahigh field functional MRI (UHF fMRI) could lead to valuable insight about subtle brain functions such as olfaction. However, UHF fMRI experiments targeting small organs next to air voids, such as the olfactory bulb, are severely affected by field inhomogeneity problems. Spatiotemporal Encoding (SPEN) is an emerging single-shot MRI technique that could provide a route for bypassing these complications. This is here explored with single-shot fMRI studies on the olfactory bulbs of male and female mice performed at 15.2T. SPEN images collected on these organs at a 108 µm in-plane resolution yielded remarkably large and well-defined responses to olfactory cues. Under suitable T2* weightings these activation-driven changes exceeded 5% of the overall signal intensity, becoming clearly visible in the images without statistical treatment. The nature of the SPEN signal intensity changes in such experiments was unambiguously linked to olfaction, via single-nostril experiments. These experiments highlighted specific activation regions in the external plexiform region and in glomeruli in the lateral part of the bulb, when stimulated by aversive or appetitive odors, respectively. These strong signal activations were non-linear with concentration, and shed light on how chemosensory signals reaching the olfactory epithelium react in response to different cues. Second-level analyses highlighted clear differences among the appetitive, aversive and neutral odor maps; no such differences were evident upon comparing male against female olfactory activation regions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:59:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cef81d831e864708a7d8ccad3f8cbfda |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:59:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-cef81d831e864708a7d8ccad3f8cbfda2023-11-19T13:00:29ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-08-0113111210.1038/s41598-023-39650-0Functional MRI of murine olfactory bulbs at 15.2T reveals characteristic activation patterns when stimulated by different odorsOdélia Chitrit0Qingjia Bao1Aoling Cai2Silvia Gabriela Chuartzman3Noga Zilkha4Rafi Haddad5Tali Kimchi6Lucio Frydman7Department of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of ScienceDepartment of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of ScienceInnovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of SciencesDepartment of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of ScienceDepartment of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of ScienceThe Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan UniversityDepartment of Brain Sciences, Weizmann Institute of ScienceDepartment of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann Institute of ScienceAbstract Thanks to its increased sensitivity, single-shot ultrahigh field functional MRI (UHF fMRI) could lead to valuable insight about subtle brain functions such as olfaction. However, UHF fMRI experiments targeting small organs next to air voids, such as the olfactory bulb, are severely affected by field inhomogeneity problems. Spatiotemporal Encoding (SPEN) is an emerging single-shot MRI technique that could provide a route for bypassing these complications. This is here explored with single-shot fMRI studies on the olfactory bulbs of male and female mice performed at 15.2T. SPEN images collected on these organs at a 108 µm in-plane resolution yielded remarkably large and well-defined responses to olfactory cues. Under suitable T2* weightings these activation-driven changes exceeded 5% of the overall signal intensity, becoming clearly visible in the images without statistical treatment. The nature of the SPEN signal intensity changes in such experiments was unambiguously linked to olfaction, via single-nostril experiments. These experiments highlighted specific activation regions in the external plexiform region and in glomeruli in the lateral part of the bulb, when stimulated by aversive or appetitive odors, respectively. These strong signal activations were non-linear with concentration, and shed light on how chemosensory signals reaching the olfactory epithelium react in response to different cues. Second-level analyses highlighted clear differences among the appetitive, aversive and neutral odor maps; no such differences were evident upon comparing male against female olfactory activation regions.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39650-0 |
| spellingShingle | Odélia Chitrit Qingjia Bao Aoling Cai Silvia Gabriela Chuartzman Noga Zilkha Rafi Haddad Tali Kimchi Lucio Frydman Functional MRI of murine olfactory bulbs at 15.2T reveals characteristic activation patterns when stimulated by different odors Scientific Reports |
| title | Functional MRI of murine olfactory bulbs at 15.2T reveals characteristic activation patterns when stimulated by different odors |
| title_full | Functional MRI of murine olfactory bulbs at 15.2T reveals characteristic activation patterns when stimulated by different odors |
| title_fullStr | Functional MRI of murine olfactory bulbs at 15.2T reveals characteristic activation patterns when stimulated by different odors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Functional MRI of murine olfactory bulbs at 15.2T reveals characteristic activation patterns when stimulated by different odors |
| title_short | Functional MRI of murine olfactory bulbs at 15.2T reveals characteristic activation patterns when stimulated by different odors |
| title_sort | functional mri of murine olfactory bulbs at 15 2t reveals characteristic activation patterns when stimulated by different odors |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39650-0 |
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