Grant Details

The goal of this program is to improve our understanding of the dynamic function of the human brain using non-invasive imaging techniques that are suited to the general human population. Research proposed in response to this program should focus on determining what the signals detected with non-invasive neuroimaging and functional evaluation techniques reveal about the underlying neural circuitry, with an emphasis on determining how the acquired signal at one level informs our understanding of activity at other levels. A key to achieving these goals will be bridging microscopic and macroscopic scales across temporal and spatial domains. This approach will yield a deeper understanding of how electrical and chemical activity in different populations of neurons and glia are represented in macroscopic-level measurements of brain structure and function. The knowledge gained could potentially enable non-invasive measurements of circuit and network interactions at multiple spatial and temporal scales.

Transformative approaches are needed that will enable the testing and validation of estimation of anatomy and physiology across scales in both time and space. These approaches could include:

• Combining current and emerging neural recording and neuromodulation techniques and methods (leveraging theoretical models, simulations, and sophisticated quantitative analyses) to deconstruct signals from non-invasive neuroimaging and neurophysiological recording;
• Using both correlations and perturbations of micro- or meso-level activity to determine relationships with macro-level activity to reveal and define the principles by which signals decay or amplify across scales; and
• Innovative design of critical experiments to validate and test emerging theories and ideas.

Examples of potential studies responsive to this program include:

• Applications that significantly advance our understanding of the structure-function relationship of defined units in the brain using non-invasive imaging and functional evaluation techniques, high-density recording, and behavioral manipulations. Studies may include investigations aimed at understanding how recorded signals map onto neural code in the context of specific behaviors.
• Integrative, multimodal approaches combining non-invasive brain stimulation and neuromodulation techniques with functional neuroimaging (e.g. simultaneous transcranial magnetic stimulation and fMRI, focused ultrasound and other neuroimaging and recording techniques) to elucidate functional networks through focal stimulation of cortical brain regions and monitoring of the distributed signals.
• Manipulation of subcortical activity through neurons and circuits deep within the brain, and subsequent imaging of downstream effects on cortical dynamics or circuit function.
• Use of integrated multimodal imaging approaches across structural levels to link neural circuit dynamics (e.g., oscillations) to structural or functional measurements in subcortical structures, and those to observations in the cortex.