In the fast paced world of medicine, quick and accurate diagnostic methods are ever so important. For the last 30 years, fMRI has been a vital tool for medical professionals. fMRI works by detecting the changes in blood flow and oxidation in the brain that occur in response to neural activity. fMRI is considered a fairly reliable tool with moderately good spatial resolution. However fMRI has its limitations; mainly speed and accuracy. Traditional fMRI has a temporal response of seconds. That is not good enough to measure high-level cognitive processes, which evolve in tens of milliseconds. Furthermore, the temporal response of the blood supply is poor relative to the electrical signals that define neuronal communication. In order to advance the field of neuroscience, there is a need for tools that can capture fast neuronal processes. As a result, researchers such as Gratton et al., as well as Patz et al. have worked to examine new diagnostic methods such as pfMRI and MRE respectively, that can hopefully make research and diagnosis much faster and much more accurate.
In the study “Defining Individual-Specific Functional Neuroanatomy for Precision Psychiatry” Gratton et al. worked to examine the effectiveness of traditional fMRI techniques functioning at the individual level, as well as introduce a potential solution to the various limitations of traditional fMRI diagnostic techniques. The researchers agree that many neuroimaging techniques such as traditional fMRI are noisy and exhibit low reliability in single individuals, limiting the ability to capture neural characteristics. As a result, the researchers suggest the use of a new “precision” fMRI (pfMRI) technique that aims to analyze single individuals rather than groups, by employing extended data acquisition. This new pfMRI technique is shown to have higher reliability of functional connectivity measures than traditional fMRI, while also sustaining high stability and sensitivity to individual differences Gratton et al.. It is discussed that only 45 to 90 minutes of data collection would be needed to reach high reliability, therefore for many applications, the benefits of this time investment are well worth the cost.
Another study “Imaging localized neuronal activity at fast time scales through biomechanics” Patz et al. shared similar interest in finding a quicker and more reliable diagnostic technique. As a result, the researchers in this study focused their efforts at examining Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), and how it can be used to track temporal activity. MRE is a technique that shows the stiffness of body tissues by creating an elastogram. MRE works by combining low-frequency vibrations with MRI imaging. This new MRE technique is proving to be a safe, quick, and accurate diagnostic technique. It is currently used to assess patients with chronic liver disease, however new studies, such as the study done by Patz et al. are using MRE as a way to noninvasively track temporal neuronal activity. This new use of the MRE technique allows medical professionals to see almost “real-time” activity of the functioning brian. This MRE technique is expected to assist the diagnosing and understanding of conditions such as Alzheimers, epilepsy and psychiatric disorders, where temporal neuronal activity may be slowed or altered.
When compared to traditional fMRI, both pfMRI and MRE techniques are seen as tremendous leaps forward in terms of accuracy and speed. Studies such as these are vital for the field of neuroscience as they look into the effectiveness of our current techniques and ask what can be done to improve them. This type of outlook helps push the field forward, which in term helps medical professionals do a better job at diagnosing and treating patients with a variety of illnesses. From psychiatric illnesses to cancer, to fibrosis, pfMRI and MRE are far superior diagnosing techniques as they provide a far clearer image while also being quicker than traditional fMRI. With further research, these two methods have great potential to deepen our understanding of neural functions and provide new methodology to noninvasively study and treat various illnesses.
Gratton, C., Kraus, B., Greene, D., Gordon, E., Laumann, T., Nelson, S., . . . Petersen, S. (2019, November 07). Defining individual-specific functional neuroanatomy for precision psychiatry. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006322319318293
Patz, S., Fovargue, D., Schregel, K., Nazari, N., Palotai, M., Barbone, P., . . . Sinkus, R. (2019, April 01). Imaging localized neuronal activity at fast time scales through biomechanics. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/4/eaav3816
Mariappan, Y., Glaser, K., & Ehman, R. (2010, June 03). Magnetic resonance elastography: A review. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ca.21006?casa_token=oHptPunPN58AAAAA%3AoQSaUt9nRFLmKAahm5pva5FNjm5RFUfGx267qS1LM20O4fyFs5Z2l70UoIkpu0_PF8eXCPqjb5hAx6E
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