Abstract #1647

Hemodynamic Changes Can Be Detected in Rat White Matter using a Hypercapnic Challenge

Erin Lindsay Mazerolle^1,2, Chris V. Bowen^1,3, Drew R. DeBay¹, Kirk W. Feindel¹, James A. Rioux¹, Douglas D. Rasmusson⁴, Kazue Semba⁵, Ryan C. D'Arcy^1,6

¹Institute for Biodiagnostics (Atlantic), National Research Council, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; ²Neuroscience Graduate Program, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; ³Physics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; ⁴Physiology & Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; ⁵Anatomy & Neurobiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; ⁶Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

White matter (WM) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activation has potential to expand current approaches for studying brain connectivity and improve assessment of WM disorders. We took the first steps towards investigating the hemodynamic events that underlie WM fMRI activation. A hypercapnic challenge was used to elicit whole brain activation in the rat. We demonstrated that rat WM has the capacity to support hemodynamic changes due to hypercapnia. This is the first demonstration of hemodynamic changes in rat WM, and will serve as the foundation for future investigations of the neurophysiologic bases of WM fMRI activation.