<p>It is not clear what neurotransmitter you are interested in, but one model that relates the PET ligand affinity to the cerebral blood volume (CBV) from fMRI looks like this:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/5gUOw.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/5gUOw.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p><sub>Source:
<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3703969/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Neurovascular coupling to D2/D3 dopamine receptor occupancy using simultaneous PET/functional MRI</a></sub></p>

<p>You can find several studies, which try to relate neurotransmitters with oxygen consumption. Google made the following suggestions to me:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811905008074" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Brain hemodynamic changes mediated by dopamine receptors: Role of the cerebral microvasculature in dopamine-mediated neurovascular coupling</a></li>
<li><a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/42512253/GABA_concentrations_in_the_human_anterio20160209-28311-jg5ug3.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA&amp;Expires=1469804295&amp;Signature=2zSy5TJUSWOCjVLpI5fYTjHq54g%3D&amp;response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DGABA_concentrations_in_the_human_anterio.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GABA concentrations in the human anterior cingulate cortex predict
negative BOLD responses in
fMRI</a></li>
</ul>

<p>In addition to PET, of special interest is the technique MRS using the same type of scanner that is used for fMRI:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3383792/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy of GABA: A methodological review</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-29T14:17:43.690Z
2016-07-29T14:17:43.690Z
noumenal
<p>The simplest equation for getting a BOLD signal from neurotransmitter that I could find was in "<a href="http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/606and-alb-fin.pdf" rel="nofollow">Tracing Problem Solving in Real Time: fMRI Analysis
of the Subject-paced Tower of Hanoi</a>", which itself references many other publications where it was used:</p>

<p>$$H(t)= m \times(t/s)^a\times e^{-(t/s)}$$</p>

<p>The parameters $s$, $a$ and $m$ don't have an explicit meaning. Heuristically, from the text:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>$m$ is the magnitude of the response and $s$ is a time scale. The function
  peaks at time $a \times s$. The parameter a determines the shape of the
  function such that the larger $a$ is the more narrowly the function will
  be distributed around its peak.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>So it seems you have to fit it to some previous data in the area you're trying to generate data from before it can be used.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-06-27T05:03:50.610Z
2016-06-27T05:03:50.610Z
Seanny123
<p>As mentioned in <a href="https://cogsci.stackexchange.com/a/9130/4397">this answer</a>, it's possible to generate an fMRI BOLD signal from neurotransmitter consumption. What equation would be appropriate for this use?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-28T22:29:11.800Z
The BOLD signal depends on the ratio between oxygenated and deoxygenated blood and the haemodynamic response function reflects this. Oxygen is not a neurostransmitter. It has a metabolic role in that it delivers potential energy to the cell, but the oxygen found in the blood does not take part in synaptic transmission, except as NO, CO and in compounds (e.g. -OH). I am not sure I understand why you are asking this. What is your research question?
noumenal
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-29T00:25:53.257Z
@noumenal my research question is to relate the metabolic role of oxygen to neurotransmitter consumption
Seanny123
<theoretical-neuroscience><fmri>
Generate fMRI from neurotransmitter consumption
Seanny123
# Generate fMRI from neurotransmitter consumption

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-06-27)

As mentioned in [this answer](https://cogsci.stackexchange.com/a/9130/4397), it's possible to generate an fMRI BOLD signal from neurotransmitter consumption. What equation would be appropriate for this use?

**Tags:** theoretical-neuroscience, fmri

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The BOLD signal depends on the ratio between oxygenated and deoxygenated blood and the haemodynamic response function reflects this. Oxygen is not a neurostransmitter. It has a metabolic role in that it delivers potential energy to the cell, but the oxygen found in the blood does not take part in synaptic transmission, except as NO, CO and in compounds (e.g. -OH). I am not sure I understand why you are asking this. What is your research question?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 my research question is to relate the metabolic role of oxygen to neurotransmitter consumption  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2016-06-27. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

The simplest equation for getting a BOLD signal from neurotransmitter that I could find was in "[Tracing Problem Solving in Real Time: fMRI Analysis
of the Subject-paced Tower of Hanoi](http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/606and-alb-fin.pdf)", which itself references many other publications where it was used:

$$H(t)= m \times(t/s)^a\times e^{-(t/s)}$$

The parameters $s$, $a$ and $m$ don't have an explicit meaning. Heuristically, from the text:

> $m$ is the magnitude of the response and $s$ is a time scale. The function
> peaks at time $a \times s$. The parameter a determines the shape of the
> function such that the larger $a$ is the more narrowly the function will
> be distributed around its peak.

So it seems you have to fit it to some previous data in the area you're trying to generate data from before it can be used.


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-07-29. Score: 2

It is not clear what neurotransmitter you are interested in, but one model that relates the PET ligand affinity to the cerebral blood volume (CBV) from fMRI looks like this:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/5gUOw.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/5gUOw.jpg)

Source:
[Neurovascular coupling to D2/D3 dopamine receptor occupancy using simultaneous PET/functional MRI](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3703969/)

You can find several studies, which try to relate neurotransmitters with oxygen consumption. Google made the following suggestions to me:

* [Brain hemodynamic changes mediated by dopamine receptors: Role of the cerebral microvasculature in dopamine-mediated neurovascular coupling](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811905008074)
* [GABA concentrations in the human anterior cingulate cortex predict
  negative BOLD responses in
  fMRI](http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/42512253/GABA_concentrations_in_the_human_anterio20160209-28311-jg5ug3.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEA&Expires=1469804295&Signature=2zSy5TJUSWOCjVLpI5fYTjHq54g%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DGABA_concentrations_in_the_human_anterio.pdf)

In addition to PET, of special interest is the technique MRS using the same type of scanner that is used for fMRI:

* [In vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy of GABA: A methodological review](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3383792/)


---

