Neuronal current MRI: the effect of neuronal oscillations

Neuronal current magnetic resonance imaging (nc-MRI) aims to detect neuronal currents using MRI and may provide higher resolution neuronal activity images than existing functional MRI methods. However, nc-MRI is yet to be convincingly demonstrated. This study investigates the feasibility of nc-MRI using computer simulations. We found that neuronal current induced MRI signal magnitude changes are below currently detectable levels, but that signal phase changes are likely to be detectable using current MRI techniques. We also found that signal phase does not accumulate over time but oscillates with neuronal activity. Therefore, MRI scans need to be synchronized with neuronal oscillation to maximize the chance of detecting signal phase changes due to neuronal currents.

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