Date of Award
2006
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Program
Physiology
Supervisor
Dr. Stefan Everling
Abstract
Brain connectivity in many species has commonly been investigated using tract tracing techniques. These experiments require the animals to be sacrificed and do not allow for future electrophysiological studies to be performed in the same subject. In this study, we developed a novel technique where functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and microstimulation were concurrently used to identify neural connectivity of the superior colliculus. Microstimulation of the superior colliculus resulted in changes in the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent signals in the superior colliculus and in several cortical and subcortical areas consistent with the known connectivity of the superior colliculus in primates, including the frontal eye fields, supplementary eye fields, lateral intraparietal region, anterior cingulate cortex, cerebellum, basal ganglia, and thalamus. Our results demonstrate that combining microstimulation and fMRI can identify neural networks and more importantly allow for identified regions of interest to be investigated in subsequent electrophysiological experiments within the same animal.
Recommended Citation
Field, Courtney Blair, "CONCURRENT fMRI WITH MICROSTIMULATION TO IDENTIFY NEURAL CONNECTIVITY OF THE MACAQUE SUPERIOR COLLICULUS" (2006). Digitized Theses. 5000.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/5000
