# TRD1: Multimodal Imaging for Spanning Multiple Spatial Scales in the Brain; Expansion to New Technologies and Species

> **NIH NIH P41** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2024 · $224,142

## Abstract

Abstract/Summary
All current techniques for the study of brain functions have limitations. Human brain activity and
functional connectivity for example, can be studied with non-invasive functional whole brain MR
methods. However, the spatiotemporal resolution and neuronal specificity of the MR technique
is limited. This limitation is imposed at two levels irrespective of the functional MR approach
employed: First, the inherent sensitivity of the MR approach limits the achievable spatial
resolution. Although the development of UHF fMRI has enabled human studies with nominal
voxel volumes of ~0.5 to1 µL to permit the detection of activity in cortical layers, columns, and
other fine scale organizations such voxels still contain more than forty to eighty thousand
neurons, capable of performing a multitude of different computations. The second limitation is
the indirect nature of the MR based functional mapping signals. Irrespective of the functional
contrast mechanism employed, they reflect physiological changes mediated by neurovascular
coupling and subsequent coupling to and perturbations of MR parameters and these
intermediary steps lead to ambiguities in spatiotemporal fidelity to neuronal activity especially at
the mesoscopic scale or cortical column and layers. More importantly, the relationship between
the MR based functional mapping signals and the underlying neuronal computations generated
by a plethora of neuronal processes and cell types organized in complex local circuits remains
largely unknown. This TRD seeks to overcome these limitations by improving the MR
measurements by exploiting advantages of uniquely high magnetic fields (10.5T and 16.4T) and
developing rigorous multi-modal (MRI-Electrophysiology and MRI-Multi Photon Imaging) data
acquisition approaches these ultrahigh magnetic fields to build sharable technologies as well as
to understand the nature of the functional MR signals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10769039
- **Project number:** 2P41EB027061-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Jan Zimmermann
- **Activity code:** P41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $224,142
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2019-02-01 → 2029-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10769039

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10769039, TRD1: Multimodal Imaging for Spanning Multiple Spatial Scales in the Brain; Expansion to New Technologies and Species (2P41EB027061-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10769039. Licensed CC0.

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