Time lag dependent multimodal processing of concurrent fMRI and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) data suggests a global circulatory origin for low-frequency oscillation signals in human brain

Abstract

Low frequency oscillations (LFOs), characterized by frequencies in the range 0.01–0.1 Hz are commonly observed in blood-related brain functional measurements such as near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). While their physiological origin and implications are not fully understood, these signals are believed to reflect some types of neuronal signaling, systemic hemodynamics, and/or cerebral vascular auto-regulation processes. Here, we examine a new method of integrated processing of concurrent NIRS and fMRI data collected on six human subjects during a whole brain resting state acquisition. The method combines the high spatial resolution offered by fMRI (~ 3 mm) and the high temporal resolution offered by NIRS (~ 80 ms) to allow for the quantitative assessment of temporal relationships between the LFOs observed at different spatial locations in fMRI data. This temporal relationship allowed us to infer that the origin of a large proportion of the LFOs is independent of the baseline neural activity. The spatio-temporal pattern of LFOs detected by NIRS and fMRI evolves temporally through the brain in a way that resembles cerebral blood flow dynamics. Our results suggest that a major component of the LFOs arise from fluctuations in the blood flow and hemoglobin oxygenation at a global circulatory system level.