加州大学Catie Chang小组取得一项新突破。他们报道了全局fMRI信号的自主生理耦合。该研究于2025年5月7日发表于国际一流学术期刊《自然—神经科学》杂志上。

在这里，该课题组研究人员表明这些脑-体共同波动的主要模式可以被一个单一的时空模式捕获。通过几个独立的样本，以及单回波和多回波功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）数据采集序列，课题组人员确定了静息状态全球fMRI信号、脑电图（EEG）活动和一系列外周自主神经信号之间在低频范围（0.01-0.1Hz）广泛的共同波动，这些信号跨越心血管、肺、外分泌和平滑细胞系统。在休息时观察到的相同的脑-体共波动是由暗示的深呼吸和间歇性的感觉刺激引起的，以及睡眠时自发的相脑电图事件。

此外，该课题组发现，在实验中抑制潮汐末二氧化碳变化的情况下，全球fMRI信号的空间结构保持不变，这表明呼吸驱动的动脉二氧化碳伴随芳香的波动不能完全解释这些信号在大脑中的起源。这些发现表明，全局fMRI信号是由自主神经系统控制的芳香反应的重要组成部分。

据悉，大脑与来自身体内部环境的内脏信号密切协调，神经、血液动力学和外周生理信号之间的众多关联证明了这一点。

附：英文原文

Title: Autonomic physiological coupling of the global fMRI signal

Author: Bolt, Taylor, Wang, Shiyu, Nomi, Jason S., Setton, Roni, Gold, Benjamin P., deB.Frederick, Blaise, Yeo, B. T. Thomas, Chen, J. Jean, Picchioni, Dante, Duyn, Jeff H., Spreng, R. Nathan, Keilholz, Shella D., Uddin, Lucina Q., Chang, Catie

Issue&Volume: 2025-05-07

Abstract: The brain is closely attuned to visceral signals from the body’s internal environment, as evidenced by the numerous associations between neural, hemodynamic and peripheral physiological signals. Here we show that a major mode of these brain–body cofluctuations can be captured by a single spatiotemporal pattern. Across several independent samples, as well as single-echo and multi-echo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquisition sequences, we identify widespread cofluctuations in the low-frequency range (0.01–0.1Hz) between resting-state global fMRI signals, electroencephalogram (EEG) activity, and a host of peripheral autonomic signals spanning cardiovascular, pulmonary, exocrine and smooth muscle systems. The same brain–body cofluctuations observed at rest are elicited by cued deep breathing and intermittent sensory stimuli, as well as spontaneous phasic EEG events during sleep. Furthermore, we show that the spatial structure of global fMRI signals is maintained under experimental suppression of end-tidal carbon dioxide variations, suggesting that respiratory-driven fluctuations in arterial CO2 accompanying arousal cannot fully explain the origin of these signals in the brain. These findings suggest that the global fMRI signal is a substantial component of the arousal response governed by the autonomic nervous system.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-01945-y

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-01945-y