Speaker:
Title:
Development of a Dual Imaging System to Measure Functional Connectivity between the Brain and Gut
Abstract:
The brain is influenced by signals from various organs, especially the gastrointestinal tract, impacting mood, behavior, and potentially causing disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and autism. Understanding the brain-body crosstalk is crucial. Past research lacked the capability to study these interactions at a multi-organ level with high spatiotemporal resolution. Our project aims to explore key aspects of enteric interoception: the relationship between gut dynamics and brain activity over time, and the correlation between gut and brain-wide neural activity. We're employing a novel dual-coil system for simultaneous gut-brain imaging and a MRI-detectable serotonin sensor to indirectly monitor gut neural activity, aiming to elucidate these interactions.