Karen J. Mullinger1, Peter F. Liddle2, Richard W. Bowtell1
1Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK; 2Division of Psychiatry, School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK
The variation in the magnitude of the BOLD and driven response to visual stimuli presented around the individuals alpha frequency (IAF) was investigated using simultaneous EEG/fMRI at 3 T. The EEG response clearly peaked close to the IAF, while a slight dip was observed in the BOLD response. The results indicate that the driven electrical responses are best characterised using frequencies scaled relative to the IAF and that the increased evoked electrical activity produced by stimulation at the IAF does not cause a concomitant increase in energy demand leading to an elevated BOLD response.