Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of neuronal activity in the hippocampal slice model
Open accessAbstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become the leading modality for studying the working brain. Being based on measuring the haemodynamic changes after enhanced mass neuronal activity the spatiotemporal resolution of the method is somewhat limited. Alternative MR-based methods for detection of brain activity have been proposed and investigated and studies have reported functional imaging based on diffusion weighted (DW) MRI. The basis for such DW fMRI is believed to be the sensitivity of diffusion weighted MRI to changes in tissue micro-structure. However, it remains unclear whether signal changes observed with these methods reflect cell swelling related to neural activation, residual vascular effects, or a combination of both. Here we present evidence of a detectable, activity-related change in the diffusion weighted MR-signal from the cellular level in live hippocampal slices in the absence of vasculature. Slices are exposed to substances which evoke or inhibit neural activity and the effects are evaluated and compared. The results are also compared to earlier DW fMRI studies in humans.
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Similar activation-related cell-size changes were observed in brain slices, where vascular confounds are absent.
“Similar activation-related cell-size changes were also observed in brain slices, where vascular confounds are absent (Buckley et al., 1999; Flint et al., 2009).”
From 40 Years of diffusion MRI in the brain: From history to emerging frontiers (2026) · cites this paper as Flint et al., 2009
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Functional diffusion tensor imaging at 3 Tesla
Mandl, R. (2013) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00817 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Nguyen‐Duc, J., de Riedmatten, I., Spencer, A. P. C., Perot, J., Olszowy, W., & Jelescu, I. (2025) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.70110 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Le Bihan, D. (2026) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2026.1858655 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
40 Years of diffusion MRI in the brain: From history to emerging frontiers
Le Bihan, D. (2026) · Imaging Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/imag.a.1365
“Similar activation-related cell-size changes were also observed in brain slices, where vascular confounds are absent ( Buckley et al., 1999; Flint et al., 2009).”
- Authors
- Flint, J., Hansen, B., Vestergaard-Poulsen, P., & Blackband, S. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Florida (US)
- Aarhus University (DK)
- Corresponding author
- Hansen, Brian
- ORCID
- Hansen, Brian
- Venue
- NeuroImage
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-06
- Volume
- 46
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 411-418
- ISSN
- 1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2719792
- OpenAlex
- W2143036873
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 3.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- Locations
- NeuroImage (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Oticon Fonden
- National Science Foundation
- National Institutes of Health (P41 RR16105, RO1 NS36992)
- Dagmar Marshalls Fond
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Nuclear and High Energy Physics › NMR spectroscopy and applications
- Keywords
- diffusion-weighted imaging, neuronal activity, hippocampal slices, cell swelling, neuronal activation, tissue microstructure, vascular effects, functional neuroimaging
- MeSH terms
- Action Potentials, Animals, Brain Mapping, Hippocampus, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Neurons, Organ Culture Techniques, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Models, Animal, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Rats
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