Whisker pad stimulation with different frequencies reveals non-uniform modulation of functional MRI signal across sensory systems in awake rats.

IF 2.9 2区医学 Q2 NEUROSCIENCES

Cerebral cortex Pub Date : 2025-07-01 DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhaf194

Jaakko Paasonen, Juha S Valjakka, Raimo A Salo, Ekaterina Paasonen, Heikki Tanila, Shalom Michaeli, Silvia Mangia, Olli Gröhn

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Abstract

Primary sensory systems are traditionally considered separate units, but emerging evidence highlights notable interactions between them. Using a quiet and motion-tolerant zero-echo time functional magnetic resonance imaging technique, we examined brain-wide cross-sensory responses to whisker pad stimulation in awake and anesthetized rats. Our results indicate that whisker pad stimulation activated not only the whisker-mediated tactile system, but also auditory, visual, high-order, and cerebellar regions, demonstrating brain-wide cross-sensory and associative activity. Based on response characteristics, non-core regions responded to stimulation in a markedly different way compared to the primary sensory system, likely reflecting distinct encoding modes among primary sensory, cross-sensory, and integrative processing. Lastly, while low-order sensory activity was detectable under anesthesia, high-order processing and the complex differences between primary, cross-sensory, and associative systems were evident only in the awake state. This study reveals novel aspects of the cross-sensory interplay of the whisker-mediated tactile system and underscores the challenges of observing these phenomena in anesthetized rats.

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不同频率的须垫刺激揭示了清醒大鼠感觉系统功能MRI信号的不均匀调制。

主要感觉系统传统上被认为是独立的单位，但新出现的证据强调了它们之间显著的相互作用。使用安静和运动容忍零回声时间功能磁共振成像技术，我们研究了清醒和麻醉大鼠对须垫刺激的全脑交叉感觉反应。我们的研究结果表明，须垫刺激不仅激活了须介导的触觉系统，还激活了听觉、视觉、高阶和小脑区域，表现出全脑范围的交叉感觉和联想活动。基于反应特征，非核心区域对刺激的反应方式与初级感觉系统明显不同，可能反映了初级感觉、跨感觉和综合处理之间不同的编码模式。最后，虽然在麻醉状态下可以检测到低阶感觉活动，但只有在清醒状态下才能明显看到初级、交叉感觉和联合系统之间的高阶加工和复杂差异。这项研究揭示了触须介导的触觉系统的跨感觉相互作用的新方面，并强调了在麻醉大鼠中观察这些现象的挑战。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Cerebral cortex 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

6.30

自引率

8.10%

发文量

510

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： Cerebral Cortex publishes papers on the development, organization, plasticity, and function of the cerebral cortex, including the hippocampus. Studies with clear relevance to the cerebral cortex, such as the thalamocortical relationship or cortico-subcortical interactions, are also included. The journal is multidisciplinary and covers the large variety of modern neurobiological and neuropsychological techniques, including anatomy, biochemistry, molecular neurobiology, electrophysiology, behavior, artificial intelligence, and theoretical modeling. In addition to research articles, special features such as brief reviews, book reviews, and commentaries are included.