Gaining insight into the neural basis of resting-state fMRI signal

Understanding the relationships between neuronal, vascular and Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals is essential for the appropriate interpretation of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) results in relation to the corresponding neuronal activity. In this study, we utilized multimodal imaging technique that concurrently measures BOLD fMRI and calcium-based fiber photometry signal to examine the relationship between BOLD and neural spiking activity in awake rats. Our results demonstrated significant correspondence between the BOLD and calcium signals at both evoked and resting state, suggesting critical role of spiking activity in the neural mechanism underlying BOLD signal.