Abstract
Background: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is one of the most important neuroimaging techniques; nevertheless, the acoustic noise of the MR scanner is unavoidably linked to the process of data acquisition. We hypothesized that the auditory noise of the scanner has an effect on autonomic activity. Methods: We measured heart rate variability (HRV) while exposing 30 healthy subjects to fMRI noise. In doing so, we demonstrated an increase in parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity compared to silence and white noise and a decrease in sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity compared to white noise. Conclusions: The influence of MR scanner noise on the autonomic nervous system should be taken into account when performing fMRI experiments.
Highlights
We focused on two comprehensive measures for sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity [7], as defined in the Kubios software (v. 3.5, https://www.kubios.com/)
SNS was significantly higher for White than for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (t29 = 2.62, pfdr = 0.04, mWhite = −0.68, mfMRI = −0.85; Figure 1, Panel B, right); there were no differences in the comparisons of fMRI–Silence (t29 = 0.63 pfdr = 0.54) and White–Silence (t29 = 2.18, pfdr = 0.057) for SNS
The significant enhancement of PNS and the decrease of SNS during fMRI might reflect the tendency to transition into a relaxed state and drowsiness favored by exposure to the monotonous rhythmic sound environment [9]
Summary
The process of fMRI sequence acquisition is unavoidably linked to high intensity (mostly >80 dB) and rhythmic acoustic noise, typically lasting 5–10 min. Previous studies suggest that fMRI noise may affect brain activity and connectivity, but the potential impact on the autonomic system is poorly known. Music and auditory stimuli influence autonomic activity and brain connectivity, as revealed by heart rate variability (HRV) [2,3]. The introduction of noise to the brain has long been shown to have an influence on signal processing, the effects of which have been termed stochastic and coherence resonance [4,5]. Our goal was to assess the influence of fMRI acoustic noise on HRV in a within-subject design
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