Date of Award
2-14-2008
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Medical Doctor (MD)
First Advisor
Robert Fulbright
Abstract
Recent studies in the field of dyslexia have used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to explore neurochemical manifestations of neurobiological differences in the brains of dyslexic adults compared to controls. This study examines the potential relationship between functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) BOLD (blood oxygen level demand) activation scores in response to cognitive tasks and MRS-measured levels of a metabolite and a neurotransmitter, N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) respectively, in the occipital region of brains of seven-year old children. Preliminary results from this multi-arm, longitudinal study indicate a significant positive correlation between fMRI BOLD signal elicited in response to picture-cues in the occipital region of interest bilaterally, and both GABA (R2=0.477 p=0.05, 2-tailed) and NAA (R2=0.587 p=0.01, 2-tailed) levels. The results suggest that the functional neuroanatomical circuitry involved in a cognitive task also has neurochemical indicators.
Recommended Citation
Ibrahim, Hassana Aisha, "Interactions between fMRI BOLD-activation during Reading Tasks and MRS-measured Metabolite Levels" (2008). Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library. 326.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ymtdl/326
This Article is Open Access
Comments
This is an Open Access Thesis.