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Abstract #1175

The Non-Linear Dynamic Characteristics of Olfactory BOLD ResponseΞ

Christopher W. Weitekamp1, Jianli Wang1, Paul J. Eslinger2,3, Jeffrey Vesek1, Xiaoyu Sun1, James R. Connor4, Qing X. Yang1,4, Jianzhong Yin1, Martin A. Lindquist5

1Radiology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States; 2Neurology, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States; 3Neural & Behavioral Sciences, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States; 4Neurosurgery, Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States; 5Statistics, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States


This study examined the dynamic nonlinear BOLD response pattern in the primary olfactory cortex (POC) and associated brain structures during an olfactory fMRI paradigm. An intricate relationship among perception threshold, sensitivity, and habituation of the human olfactory system challenges the fundamental assumption of linearity in BOLD response. The goal of this study was to emphasize an unconventional nonlinear model of BOLD response through the use of olfactory fMRI and to suggest that such dynamic characteristics may extend to other neuronal systems with a feedback mechanism, profoundly impacting fMRI data acquisition/analysis and its clinical applications.