A Monte Carlo method for locally multivariate brain mapping.

Locally multivariate approaches to functional brain mapping offer a highly appealing complement to conventional statistics, but require restrictive region-of-interest hypotheses, or, in exhaustive search forms (such as the "searchlight" algorithm; Kriegeskorte et al., 2006), are excessively computer intensive. We therefore propose a non-restrictive, comparatively fast yet highly sensitive method based on Monte Carlo approximation principles where locally multivariate maps are computed by averaging across voxelwise condition-discriminative information obtained from repeated stochastic sampling of fixed-size search volumes.

Following one's heart: cardiac rhythms gate central initiation of sympathetic reflexes.

Central nervous processing of environmental stimuli requires integration of sensory information with ongoing autonomic control of cardiovascular function. Rhythmic feedback of cardiac and baroreceptor activity contributes dynamically to homeostatic autonomic control. We examined how the processing of brief somatosensory stimuli is altered across the cardiac cycle to evoke differential changes in bodily state.

Unmyelinated tactile afferents have opposite effects on insular and somatosensory cortical processing.

A previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of an A-beta deafferented subject (GL) showed that stimulation of tactile C afferents (CT) activates insular cortex whereas no activation was seen in somatosensory cortices. Psychophysical studies suggested that CT afferents contribute to affective but not to discriminative aspects of tactile stimulation. We have now examined cortical processing following CT stimulation in a second similarly deafferented subject (IW), as well as revisited the data from GL.

Functional role of unmyelinated tactile afferents in human hairy skin: sympathetic response and perceptual localization.

In addition to A-beta fibres the human hairy skin has unmyelinated (C) fibres responsive to light touch. Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in a subject with a neuronopathy who specifically lacks A-beta afferents indicated that tactile C afferents (CT) activate insular cortex, whereas no response was seen in somatosensory areas 1 and 2. Psychophysical tests suggested that CT afferents give rise to an inconsistent perception of weak and pleasant touch.

The effect of global cerebral vasodilation on focal activation hemodynamics.

In view of the potential of global resting blood flow level to confound the interpretation of blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI studies, we investigated the effect of pronounced elevation in baseline cerebral blood flow (CBF) on BOLD and CBF responses to functional activation. Twelve healthy volunteers performed bilateral finger apposition while attending to a radial yellow/blue checkerboard. Three levels of global CBF increase were achieved by inhaling 5, 7.