Concurrent fMRI and Optical Imaging Spectroscopy at High Field (7T): Investigation of the Haemodynamic Response Underlying the BOLD Signal

Aneurin James Kennerley¹, David Keith Johnston¹, Michael Port¹, Luke William Boorman¹, Ying Zheng¹, John Edward Mayhew¹, Jason Berwick¹

We have developed a methodology for concurrent high field (7T) functional magnetic resonance imaging and 2D optical imaging spectroscopy for the investigation of the haemodynamics underlying BOLD signal changes to neuronal activation. The technique has been used to investigate the negative BOLD phenomenon and haemodynamic interactions between two adjacent cortical regions. Data were used to test and refine biophysical models of the BOLD signal important in interpreting measurements of the BOLD signal as reflecting changes in metabolic activity.