Off Road - The resting brain: neurometabolite signaling underlying brain network fluctuations

We have long assumed that the vast majority of energy going to the brain is needed to perform tasks, but itturns out that more than 80% of the energy is spent on "the resting brain." Resting-state functional MRItechniques (rs-fMRI) have been used to show that (non-adjacent) areas of the brain exhibit similar activityand are thus functionally linked. The degree of this functional connectivity is important for predictingcognitive function and appears to be aberrant in neuropsychiatric disorders. However, we do notunderstand how energy metabolism in brain regions (neurometabolism) gives rise to functional connectivitybetween these regions. Using a novel MRI protocol, I will investigate the relationship betweenneurometabolism and functional connectivity. By identifying these relationships, we can ultimately learn howdysfunctional connectivity can be effectively restored by therapies or medications aimed at modulatingneurometabolism.