29/10/2025
各位關注認知神經科學發展的朋友們，除了年會暨學術研討會，臺灣認知神經科學學會也將於明年（2026）1月23日在國立陽明交通大學（陽明校區）舉辦 7T fMRI工作坊，想掌握fMRI最新研究趨勢的你，千萬不要錯過！報名時間只到2025年10月31日！詳請請參考下方活動主辦方訊息及海報：
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關心認知神經科學的會員朋友們，
Dear Colleagues and Members of the Taiwan Society of Cognitive Neuroscience,
有鑒於超高場域 (7T, 9T, 11T) 磁振造影研究在近五年來的迅速發展，臺灣認知神經科學學會特別舉辦 7T fMRI 工作坊（2026/1/23），針對超高場域在基礎研究和應用層面的潛力和挑戰，做深入探討。其中，史丹佛大學長期鑽研超高場域研究的 Jonathan Polimeni 教授，將從最新 in vivo miscrosopy 研究結果，討論神經--血管鏈結 (neurovascular coupling)，來回答功能性磁振造影內在解析度 (intrinsic resolution) 的大哉問，以及超高場域研究扮演的角色。另外，多倫多大學的林發暄教授則透過顱內電生理資料 (intracranial EEG)，研究超高場域功能性磁振造影訊號，在大腦聽覺皮質層 (cortical layer) 的反應特性。從腦區到腦皮質層，從血流到電生理訊號，人類腦功能研究在生理原則、研究工具和方法的相互激盪下，即將開啟全新的篇章。人類腦功能研究的下一個10年，你不能錯過！名額有限，請於10/31前報名參加(http://140.115.47.150/tscn/workshop2026/)。
In light of the rapid development of Ultra High Field (UHF, 7 Tesla, 9T, 11T) MRI research over the past five years, the Taiwan Society of Cognitive Neuroscience will host a 7T fMRI Workshop (January 23, 2026) to explore in depth the potentials and challenges of UHF imaging in both basic and applied research. Professor Jonathan Polimeni from Stanford University, a leader in UHF research, will address the fundamental question of the intrinsic resolution of functional MRI and the role of UHF imaging in pushing the resolution limit through the latest in vivo microscopy findings on neurovascular coupling. Professor Fa-Hsuan Lin from the University of Toronto will present work using intracranial EEG to investigate the response properties of UHF fMRI signals at different cortical layers in the auditory cortex. From brain regions to cortical layers, from blood flow to electrophysiological signals, research on human brain function is entering a new era—driven by the interplay of organizing principles of the brain, the development of research tools, and technological breakthroughs. A new chapter of human brain research is about to begin and you won’t want to miss it! Seats are limited, so please register by October 31 ( http://140.115.47.150/tscn/workshop2026/ ).
🌟Prof. Jonathan Polimeni
✏️Talk Title: What is the ultimate spatiotemporal resolution of human functional MRI? Insights into how brain vasculature influences hemodynamics
✏️Abstract:
All fMRI techniques in use today measure brain function only indirectly, by tracking the changes in blood flow, volume and oxygenation that accompany neuronal activity, and this has often been viewed as the fundamental limitation of the technique. However, recent evidence from invasive in-vivo microscopy studies has shown that the brain's smallest blood vessels respond far more precisely, in space and in time, to neuronal activity than previously believed. This insight suggests that the “biological resolution” of fMRI is intrinsically high, and, with sufficiently high imaging resolution, it should be possible to extract more meaningful neuronally specific information from fMRI—if we can understand how brain vascular anatomy and physiology shape the hemodynamics that generate the fMRI signals.
In this presentation, I will describe ongoing efforts to improve the neuronal specificity of fMRI and pose the question: How far can we go with fMRI? The limits of fMRI spatial and temporal resolution are actively being investigated using advanced imaging technologies. While high-resolution human fMRI studies are increasingly operating at the boundaries of what is achievable, a key challenge is that the vascular architecture of the brain reflects its structure and function across spatial scales. Both classic and modern vascular anatomy studies have shown how the macro-vascular geometry is coupled with the tissue geometry, including the gray matter folds and the white matter tracts, while the micro-vascular density closely follows borders of subcortical nuclei, cortical areas and cortical layers. I will present evidence that both the large- and small-scale vascular anatomy strongly influence patterns of fMRI activation and describe strategies for how to account for this.
As examples of the intrinsically high biological resolution of fMRI, I will present results showing cortical columnar and laminar imaging, and new directions in the emerging field of ”fast fMRI” that show how the BOLD response can track surprisingly fast neural dynamics. Lastly, I will share our recent progress towards building bottom-up biophysical models of the fMRI signals based on realistic vascular anatomy and dynamics that provide insights into the interrelationship between hemodynamics and neural activity. Overall, many lessons can be learned through a deeper understanding of brain vascular anatomy and physiology, which can both shed light on the brain's functional organization and help neuroscientists more accurately interpret the fMRI signals in terms of the underlying neural activity.
🌟Prof. Fa-Hsuan Lin
✏️Talk Title: Relating layer-specific fMRI signals to acoustics and intracranial neuronal activity in the human auditory cortex in a naturalistic design
✏️Abstract:
7T fMRI enables the resolution of brain activity across cortical depths to understand feedforward and feedback dynamics. The relationship between these hemodynamic signals and neural activity is less well explored. In this talk, we present results correlating 7T fMRI in healthy individuals with invasive electrophysiological recordings from epilepsy patients to examine layer-dependent coupling between neuronal activity and fMRI during passive music listening. Specifically, Layer-specific fMRI responses were modeled using neuronal oscillation envelopes elicited by the same naturalistic stimuli. From deep toward superficial layers, the relationship between oscillatory power and fMRI responses systematically changed: alpha/beta activity (8-30 Hz) was increasingly associated with negative fMRI responses, while gamma band (>30 Hz) oscillations showed increasingly positive associations. The envelope of broadband high-frequency activity (>70 Hz) showed the strongest link with fMRI signals in the intermediate layers. This "feedforward type" dominance of intermediate layers was also clearly present in the fMRI analysis using the acoustical envelope itself. Our findings reveal a spectrolaminar organization of neurovascular coupling in the human auditory cortex.
