Tibor Auer and Jens Frahm

The goal of this project is to establish BOLD fMRI neurofeedback as a novel method for controlled modulation of human cortical activity. This innovative neurobionic closed-loop approach complements neuro-stimulation by transcranial magnetic and electric fields (SP. 1d) and promises a new treatment option for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows for noninvasive studies of the structure and function of the human brain (e.g., see Frahm et al., 1992; Ogawa et al., 1992; Henning et al., 2005; Bestmann et al., 2005). Recent advances have rendered real-time applications possible so that image reconstruction, transfer, and analysis are accomplished within the time frame necessary for acquisition of a single volumetric dataset – typically 2 seconds. Real-time functional MRI provides the basis for a novel kind of neurofeedback using the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) MRI signal intensity as a measure of neural activity (Weiskopf et al., 2003; deCharms et al., 2004; Caria et al., 2007; Lütcke & Frahm 2007). During fMRI the subject is continuously informed about the current level of activity in a specified brain region, e.g. by means of graphical interface, and learns to regulate this activity voluntarily. So far, our mechanistic understanding of BOLD fMRI neurofeedback is still very limited and a comprehensive survey of which brain areas are amenable to neurofeedback is lacking. To clarify these issues will be the first aim of subproject 2d.



^{Fig. SP2d) BOLD fMRI neurofeedback (left) as implemented in our laboratory and (right) time courses in anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (black trace) and parietal cortex (dotted trace) for a representative subject before and after neurofeedback (top and bottom, respectively). After training, the subject achieved significant up-regulation of brain activity in ACC during activation periods (red) compared to rest (white).}