Principal Investigator: Federico Giove

Resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is increasingly used to investigate brain networks in a variety of basic neuroscience and clinical studies. However, physiological signals of non-neural origin affect the reliability of brain networks
derived from fMRI measurements. Physiological confounds include components related directly or indirectly to vasculature. Significant efforts have been devoted to the mitigation of this problem, but the exact anatomical and statistical properties of the vascular component of
BOLD slow frequency fluctuations are still elusive. This projects aims at characterizing the properties of these signals at unprecedented spatial resolution. Optimized, multiparametric MRI methods will be used with combined bottom-up estimate of signal based on realistic modelling.
This approach will allow the investigation of the the properties of physiological noise at the level of cortical layer. Results of this project can be exploited in the future to develop advanced denoising pipelines for resting state fMRI, or to investigate the potential role of physiological
signals as biomarker of neurovascular or neurological diseases.

• Project start and end date: 03/07/2024 – 02/07/2025
• Extension: 30/09/2025
• Funding source: Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli” – Bando a cascata Partenariato Esteso MNESYS – Spoke 2 – PNRR Next Generation Missione 4 Componente 2 Investimento Intervento 1.3
• CUP: B83C22004960002
• Funding amount: 249.618,75