Reliability of resting-state functional connectivity in the human spinal cord: Assessing the impact of distinct noise sources

Kaptan, Merve; Horn, Ulrike; Vannesjo, S. Johanna; Mildner, Toralf; Weiskopf, Nikolaus; Finsterbusch, Jürgen; Brooks, Jonathan; Eippert, Falk

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120152

Cited by 10 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…In particular, spinal cord RSNs from low‐frequency BOLD changes have been observed with bilateral symmetries, similar to the brain, which connect the left and right dorsal and ventral horns 18,23,32,34,46,53,75,85,107 . As the bilateral symmetry has been reported as the hallmark pattern in brain RSNs, its similar observation in spinal cord RSNs indicates the roles of anatomically homologous areas in generating spinal cord RSNs and, therefore, supports the similar origin of spinal cord RSNs as brain RSNs, as theorized by Barry et al 20,75 .…”

Section: Using Fmri To Study Healthy Spinal Cord Functionalitysupporting

confidence: 67%

“…At 7T and higher, T2‐weighted spin‐echo (SE) sequences with a longer TE 29,78 are more used as the T2*‐weighted GRE sequences become more prone to artifacts and signal dropout 29,78 due to increased field inhomogeneities in 7T scanners 6 . Other MRI sequences that have been used for spinal cord fMRI include GRE or SE Echo Planar Imaging (GE‐EPI/SE‐EPI), 18,19,21,22,30,32,34,39,40,43,48,52,53,55–57,61,67–72,79–89 TSE or Fast Spin Echo, 2,14,25,31,33,39,47,90–101 three‐dimensional (3D) Multi‐shot GRE, 20,35,75,77,102 and Half‐Fourier Single‐Shot Turbo Spin Echo 13,36–38,41,42,44–46,49–51,58–60,62–66,73,103–108 . The use of different sequences for spinal cord fMRI is also partially due to the debate on which sequence is best for a specific contrast that depends on many not fully evaluated factors (see an example in the next section).…”

Section: Fmri Methodologies For Studying the Spinal Cordmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…RSNs have also been found to be segmented in the rostro‐caudal direction, 18,34,46,74 with weak connectivity between spinal cord segments 23,32,46 . Furthermore, stronger connectivity is exhibited in higher cervical spinal levels than in lower cervical spinal levels 53,85 . These discoveries mirror the neural substrates responsible for constant influx of sensory signals that the spinal cord intakes and may imply that it could play a role in maintaining autonomic functions, such as breathing 23,34,73,84,107 .…”

Section: Using Fmri To Study Healthy Spinal Cord Functionalitymentioning

confidence: 95%

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The current state of spinal cord functional magnetic resonance imaging and its application in clinical research

Haynes,

Muhammad,

Khan

et al. 2023

Journal of Neuroimaging

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Since its development, spinal cord functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has utilized various methodologies and stimulation protocols to develop a deeper understanding of a healthy human spinal cord that lays a foundation for its use in clinical research and practice. In this review, we conducted a comprehensive literature search on spinal cord fMRI studies and summarized the recent advancements and resulting scientific achievements of spinal cord fMRI in the following three aspects: the current state of spinal cord fMRI methodologies and stimulation protocols, knowledge about the healthy spinal cord's functions obtained via spinal cord fMRI, and fMRI's exemplary usage in spinal cord diseases and injuries. We conclude with a discussion that, while technical challenges exist, novel fMRI technologies for and new knowledge about the healthy human spinal cord have been established. Empowered by these developments, investigations of pathological and injury states within the spinal cord have become the next important direction of spinal cord fMRI. Recent clinical investigations into spinal cord pathologies, for example, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and cervical spondylotic myelopathy, have already provided deep insights into spinal cord impairments and the time course of impairment‐caused changes. We expect that future spinal cord fMRI advancement and research development will further enhance our understanding of various spinal cord diseases and provide the foundation for evaluating existing and developing new treatment plans.

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Section: Using Fmri To Study Healthy Spinal Cord Functionalitysupporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Fmri Methodologies For Studying the Spinal Cordmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Using Fmri To Study Healthy Spinal Cord Functionalitymentioning

confidence: 95%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The current state of spinal cord functional magnetic resonance imaging and its application in clinical research

Haynes,

Muhammad,

Khan

et al. 2023

Journal of Neuroimaging

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“… 29▪▪ ), but are outside the scope of this review. Similarly, resting-state fMRI reports have described synchronised oscillatory activity, known as functional connectivity (FC), between dorsal and ventral horns, both within and between hemicords and across vertebral levels 28,30,31 . Modulation of spinal cord activity has also been described, with reductions in pain reports and fMRI responses following placebo administration 32 and during attentional analgesia, in which responses to evoked nociceptive heat stimuli are reduced when attention is directed away from pain by a distracting cognitive task 33 .…”

Section: In-vivo Assessment Of Descending Modulation In the Spinal Co...mentioning

confidence: 97%

Harnessing the power of endogenous pain control mechanisms for novel therapeutics: how might innovations in neuroimaging help?

Howard

Lawn

Kowalczyk

2023

Current Opinion in Supportive &Amp; Palliative Care

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Purpose of review This review explores the potential of using novel imaging approaches to deepen our understanding of descending modulatory mechanisms in pain, focussing on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the spinal cord and novel approaches to combining molecular and fMRI data. This review sheds light on the neural processes involved in pain modulation, paving the way for the development of targeted treatments. Recent findings The reviewed literature demonstrates significant advancements in pain research. Recent studies show the potential of using fMRI to investigate the spinal cord’s role in pain modulation. Furthermore, novel analytical approaches integrating molecular and fMRI data show promise in elucidating the complex neurobiological processes underlying pain regulation. The main themes explored here include the identification of neurochemical markers associated with pain modulation and the characterisation of neural circuits involved in descending pain control. Summary A comprehensive understanding of descending modulatory mechanisms in pain can inform the development of novel treatments, targeting dysfunction of these key pathways. By leveraging spinal fMRI and integrating molecular data into brain fMRI, researchers can identify potential therapeutic targets throughout the neuraxis. These advances may contribute to the development of personalised medicine approaches, allowing for tailored interventions based on individual pain profiles.

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“…More recently, the scope of resting-state fMRI has expanded beyond the confines of the cortex, for instance to probe the intrinsic organization of the spinal cord; see (Harrison et al, 2021) for review. Notably, studies focusing on the cervical spinal cord have uncovered organized spontaneous signals, utilizing both data-driven methods, such as ICA (Kong et al, 2014;Landelle et al, 2021) and iCAP (Kinany et al, 2020)), and hypothesis-driven approaches (Barry et al, 2014;Eippert et al, 2017b;Harita and Stroman, 2017;Kaptan et al, 2023;Liu et al, 2016;Weber et al, 2018). These studies have effectively revealed spinal resting-state networks, prominently featuring functional connectivity between bilateral ventral (i.e., motor) and dorsal (i.e., sensory) horns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lumbosacral spinal cord functional connectivity at rest: From feasibility to reliability

Ricchi,

Kinany,

Van De Ville

2023

Preprint

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In the past decade, exploration of spontaneous blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal fluctuations has expanded beyond the brain to include the spinal cord. While most studies have predominantly focused on the cervical region, the lumbosacral segments play a crucial role in motor control and sensory processing of the lower limbs. Addressing this gap, the aims of the current study were two-fold: first, confirming the presence and nature of organized spontaneous BOLD signals in the human lumbosacral spinal cord; second, systematically assessing the impact of various denoising strategies on signal quality and functional connectivity (FC) patterns. Given the susceptibility of spinal cord fMRI to noise, this step is pivotal to ensure the robustness of intrinsic FC. Our findings uncovered bilateral FC between the ventral horns. Importantly, these patterns were consistently observed across denoising methods and demonstrating fair to excellent reliability. Conversely, no other significant connectivity patterns were identified across the remaining horns. Importantly, the evaluation of diverse denoising strategies highlighted the efficacy of PNM-based pipelines in cleaning the signal while preserving the strength and reliability of connectivity estimates. Together, our results provide evidence of robust FC patterns in the lumbosacral spinal cord, thereby paving the way for future studies probing caudal spinal activity.

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Reliability of resting-state functional connectivity in the human spinal cord: Assessing the impact of distinct noise sources

Cited by 10 publications

References 114 publications

The current state of spinal cord functional magnetic resonance imaging and its application in clinical research

The current state of spinal cord functional magnetic resonance imaging and its application in clinical research

Harnessing the power of endogenous pain control mechanisms for novel therapeutics: how might innovations in neuroimaging help?

Lumbosacral spinal cord functional connectivity at rest: From feasibility to reliability

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