Mapping and comparing fMRI connectivity networks across species

Abstract

Technical advances in neuroimaging, notably in fMRI, have allowed distributed patterns of functional connectivity to be mapped in the human brain with increasing spatiotemporal resolution. Recent years have seen a growing interest in extending this approach to rodents and non-human primates to understand the mechanism of fMRI connectivity and complement human investigations of the functional connectome. Here, we discuss current challenges and opportunities of fMRI connectivity mapping across species. We underscore the critical importance of physiologically decoding neuroimaging measures of brain (dys)connectivity via multiscale mechanistic investigations in animals. We next highlight a set of general principles governing the organization of mammalian connectivity networks across species. These include the presence of evolutionarily conserved network systems, a dominant cortical axis of functional connectivity, and a common repertoire of topographically conserved fMRI spatiotemporal modes. We finally describe emerging approaches allowing comparisons and extrapolations of fMRI connectivity findings across species. As neuroscientists gain access to increasingly sophisticated perturbational, computational and recording tools, cross-species fMRI offers novel opportunities to investigate the large-scale organization of the mammalian brain in health and disease.

Transient brain activity dynamics discriminate levels of consciousness during anesthesia

“…1b ). Importantly, also anterior and posterior default mode networks were preserved in monkeys 44 , 45 . In contrast, monkeys missed higher level cognitive networks such as attention, language, anterior salience and visuospatial networks.…”

Multimodal identification of the mouse brain using simultaneous Ca2+imaging and fMRI

“…Translational work across species can be aided by using common tools (e.g., imaging modalities) and analytical frameworks 38,39 (here, connectome-based ID). Work of this nature contributes by establishing whether (and the degree to which) specific measurements are possible in multiple species 40 and by extension how useful animal models might be within a specific analytical framework or clinical context. Given a foothold, i.e., when overlap across species can be established, work in animals can offer insights that are not attainable from human subjects 21 .…”

The Effects of Locus Coeruleus Optogenetic Stimulation on Global Spatiotemporal Patterns in Rats

“…This also speaks to the complexity of the neural and hemodynamic systems involved when measuring these spatiotemporal signals with fMRI. Lastly, despite the valuable advancements that work in rodents allows (Pagani et al, 2023), it is important to note that the animals presented were scanned under anesthesia, a state which is known to affect measures of brain activity (X. Liu et al, 2013;Masamoto et al, 2009;Masamoto & Kanno, 2012), and may compete with arousalassociated manipulations such as certain levels of LC stimulation.…”