Scholarship 13/21764-9 - Física médica, Neuroimagem - BV FAPESP
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Characterization of neurovascular-metabolic coupling in humans with diffuse optical techniques

Grant number: 13/21764-9
Support Opportunities:Scholarships in Brazil - Master
Start date until: February 01, 2014
End date until: February 28, 2015
Field of knowledge:Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - General Physics
Principal Investigator:Rickson Coelho Mesquita
Grantee:Alexandre Gomes Pinto
Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
Associated research grant:12/02500-8 - Instrumentation and methodology development for cerebral oxygenation, blood flow and metabolic monitoring with diffuse optical spectroscopies, AP.JP

Abstract

Neurovascular coupling refers to the relationship between neuronal activity and metabolic and vascular activities. Although long known, its nature is still poorly understood due to the large amount of events triggered by neuronal activation. This project proposes the integration of optical techniques and electroencephalography to study neurovascular coupling on healthy humans during functional brain activation. We propose a theoretical and empirical approach to the determination of transfer functions between the electrophysiological and the vascular/metabolic systems guided by experimental data. These transfer functions can be used as input to biophysical models that can predict observables measured by diffuse optical techniques. By characterizing the neurovascular coupling at different cortical systems in healthy volunteers, one could look for differences in the injured brain and use the methodology as a marker for establishing degrees of severity in the future. Therefore, this work might have applications to patients with brain disorders such as epilepsy and degenerative diseases (Alzheimer's Disease or multiple sclerosis), as well as the injured brain such as stroke. The portability and high resolution of these techniques enhance the potential of their joint use, because they can be used in a quick, practical and precise way at the bedside. Thus, the present project proposes the combination of multimodal neuroimaging current techniques and a quantitative methodology for determining neurovascular properties underlying neuronal activity, which can lead to providing a useful tool for better understanding of both the healthy and the diseased brain. This project is part of a broader context already supported by two research projects at FAPESP (Proc. 2012/02500-8 and Proc. 2013/07559-3). (AU)

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Academic Publications
(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)
PINTO, Alexandre Gomes. Using diffuse optical techniques to characterize the neurovascular-metabolic coupling in humans. 2016. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin Campinas, SP.

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