Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) is a standard approach to examine resting state functional connectivity (RSFC), but fMRI in animal models is challenging. Recently, functional optical intrinsic signal imaging—which relies on the same hemodynamic signal underlying BOLD fMRI—has been developed as a complementary approach to assess RSFC in mice. Since it is difficult to ensure that an animal is in a truly resting state while awake, RSFC measurements under anesthesia remain an important approach. Therefore, we systematically examined measures of RSFC using non-invasive, widefield optical intrinsic signal imaging under five different anesthetics in male C57BL/6J mice. We find excellent seed-based, global, and interhemispheric connectivity using tribromoethanol (Avertin) and ketamine–xylazine, comparable to results in the literature including awake animals. Urethane anesthesia yielded intermediate results, while chloral hydrate and isoflurane were both associated with poor RSFC. Furthermore, we found a correspondence between the strength of RSFC and the power of low-frequency hemodynamic fluctuations. In conclusion, Avertin and ketamine–xylazine provide robust and reproducible measures of RSFC in mice, whereas chloral hydrate and isoflurane do not.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) leads to significant long-term cognitive deficits, which can be associated with alterations in resting state functional connectivity (RSFC). However, modalities such as fMRI—which is commonly used to assess RSFC in humans—have practical limitations in small animals. Therefore, we used non-invasive optical intrinsic signal imaging to determine the effect of SAH on RSFC in mice up to three months after prechiasmatic blood injection. We assessed Morris water maze (MWM), open field test (OFT), Y-maze, and rotarod performance from approximately two weeks to three months after SAH. Compared to sham, we found that SAH reduced motor, retrosplenial, and visual seed-based connectivity indices. These deficits persisted in retrosplenial and visual cortex seeds at three months. Seed-to-seed analysis confirmed early attenuation of correlation coefficients in SAH mice, which persisted in predominantly posterior network connections at later time points. Seed-independent global and interhemispheric indices of connectivity revealed decreased correlations following SAH for at least one month. SAH led to MWM hidden platform and OFT deficits at two weeks, and Y-maze deficits for at least three months, without altering rotarod performance. In conclusion, experimental SAH leads to early and persistent alterations both in hemodynamically derived measures of RSFC and in cognitive performance.

Background and Purpose: Spreading depolarizations (SDs) are recurrent and ostensibly spontaneous depolarization waves that may contribute to infarct progression after stroke. Somatosensory activation of the metastable peri-infarct tissue triggers peri-infarct SDs at a high rate. Methods: We directly measured the functional activation threshold to trigger SDs in peri-infarct hot zones using optogenetic stimulation after distal middle cerebral artery occlusion in Thy1-ChR2-YFP mice. Results: Optogenetic activation of peri-infarct tissue triggered SDs at a strikingly high rate (64%) compared with contralateral homotopic cortex (8%; P =0.004). Laser speckle perfusion imaging identified a residual blood flow of 31±2% of baseline marking the metastable tissue with a propensity to develop SDs. Conclusions: Our data reveal a spatially distinct increase in SD susceptibility in peri-infarct tissue where physiological levels of functional activation are capable of triggering SDs. Given the potentially deleterious effects of peri-infarct SDs, the effect of sensory overstimulation in hyperacute stroke should be examined more carefully.

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