Investigation of MR signal modulation due to magnetic fields from neuronal currents in the adult human optic nerve and visual cortex

Neuronal currents produce weak transient magnetic fields, and the hypothesis being investigated here is that the components of these parallel to the B0 field can potentially modulate the MR signal, thus providing a means of direct detection of nerve impulses. A theory for the phase and amplitude changes of the MR signal over time due to an external magnetic field has been developed to predict this modulation. Experimentally, a fast gradient-echo EPI sequence (TR=158 ms, TE=32.4 ms) was employed in an attempt to directly detect these neuronal currents in the adult human optic nerve and visual cortex using a 280-mm quadrature head coil at 1.5 T. A symmetrical intravoxel field distribution, which can be plausibly hypothesized for the axonal fields in the optic nerve and visual cortex, would result in phase cancellation within a voxel, and hence, only amplitude changes would be expected. On the other hand, an asymmetrical intravoxel field distribution would produce both phase and amplitude changes. The in vivo magnitude image data sets show a significant nerve firing detection rate of 56%, with zero detection using the phase image data sets. The percentage magnitude signal changes relative to the fully relaxed equilibrium signal fall within a predicted RMS field range of 1.2–2.1 nT in the optic nerve and 0.4–0.6 nT in the visual cortex, according to the hypothesis that the axonal fields create a symmetrical Lorentzian field distribution within the voxel.