Author/Authors :
Manganotti، نويسنده , , Paolo and Formaggio، نويسنده , , Emanuela and Storti، نويسنده , , Silvia Francesca and Avesani، نويسنده , , Mirko and Acler، نويسنده , , Michele and Sala، نويسنده , , Francesco and Magon، نويسنده , , Stefano and Zoccatelli، نويسنده , , Giada and Pizzini، نويسنده , , Francesca and Alessandrini، نويسنده , , Franco and Fiaschi، نويسنده , , Antonio and Beltramello، نويسنده , , Alberto، نويسنده ,
Abstract :
Passive electrical stimulation activates various human somatosensory cortical systems including the contralateral primary somatosensory area (SI), bilateral secondary somatosensory area (SII) and bilateral insula. The effect of stimulation frequency on blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) activity remains unclear. We acquired 3-T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in eight healthy volunteers during electrical median nerve stimulation at frequencies of 1, 3 and 10 Hz. During stimulation BOLD signal changes showed activation in the contralateral SI, bilateral SII and bilateral insula. Results of fMRI analysis showed that these areas were progressively active with the increase of rate of stimulation. As a major finding, the contralateral SI showed an increase of peak of BOLD activation from 1 to 3 Hz but reached a plateau during 10-Hz stimulation. Our finding is of interest for basic research and for clinical applications in subjects unable to perform cognitive tasks in the fMRI scanner.
Keywords :
Stimulation frequency , FMRI , Bold , 3T , SEP
