Finding Thalamic BOLD Correlates to Cortical Alpha Modulation

Zhongming Liu¹, Jacco A. de Zwart¹, Bing Yao¹, Peter van Gelderen¹, Li-Wei Kuo¹, Jeff H. Duyn¹

Simultaneous EEG-fMRI data were analyzed to reveal the thalamocortical networks associated with the modulation of cortical alpha (8-12Hz) EEG. The occipital alpha rhythm was found to be negatively correlated with the BOLD signals at both the visual cortex and the visual thalamus but positively at the anterior dorsal nuclei, which was neither structurally nor functionally connected with the visual cortex. Negative thalamic BOLD-alpha correlation was mostly found at Pulvinar, as confirmed by comparison with reference locations defined through functional localizer with visual stimulation as well as high-resolution anatomical images with gradient echo phase contrast at 7T.