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practiCal fMRI

@practicalfmri.bsky.social
277 followers 33 following 338 posts

practicalfmri.blogspot.com www.youtube.com/@practiCalfMRI

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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Been traveling recently, and judging by the number of Lake Ontario hats, tee shirts and hoodies on American pax I'm guess there's one part of US-Canada economy that's still raging. #LakeOntario
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Astrocytes Coordinate Neurovascular Coupling During Prolonged Sensory Demand via AQP4/TRPA1/BEST1/D-Serine Signaling pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42811508/
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Human brain cortical oxygen consumption is positively related to soma surface area density. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Dose-dependent ultrasound neuromodulation of the human brain www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Dan Handwerker @danielhandwerker.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Great postdoc opportunity with Peter Bandettini @fmri-today.bsky.social (and me).
jobs.humanbrainmapping.org
Postdoctoral Researcher in fMRI methods Job Opening in Bethesda, Maryland - Organization for Human Brain Mapping
A new Postdoctoral Researcher in fMRI methods job is available in Bethesda, Maryland. Check it out on Organization for Human Brain Mapping.
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Dan Handwerker @danielhandwerker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Looking forward to seeing who is lucky enough to hire @joetzel.bsky.social
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Jo Etzel @joetzel.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Searching for myself on YouTube is more mixed-content than I expected: Bobbiejo Etzel (no relation) was charged for murder a few years ago. (The www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNbT... link is for my job search; anyone in the EU looking to hire staff (me!) for fMRI/dataset QC/analysis/project management?)
youtube.com
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Micah G. Allen @micahgallen.com · 22/09/2026
Here is what Sol said when I asked it how it did this 🧵
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Micah G. Allen @micahgallen.com · 22/09/2026
So… we just found out that GPT sol can complete a complex online behavioral/cognitive study producing nearly indistinguishable behavior and subjective reports… right as we are about to launch. Is this doomsday for online cognitive testing?
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Large-Vessel Venous Signal Confounds Apparent Amygdala Activation in BOLD fMRI www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Geoanna M. Bautista, M.D. @geoannabautista.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Mechanosensation isn't just at the cell surface. In gut smooth muscle, we found that Piezo1 is mostly intracellular, <40 nm from RyR and BK channels. Activating it hyperpolarizes cells and weakens contraction- like a molecular brake. Stay tuned for more to come! J Physiol: doi.org/10.1113/JP29...
doi.org
Intracellular mechanosensation in intestinal smooth muscle: Piezo1 complexes amplify signalling beyond the surface
Abstract figure legend Mechanosensation is not confined to the cell surface. In intestinal smooth muscle Piezo1 is predominantly intracellular (86%), where it forms a nanoscale (<40 nm) complex at th...
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
If anyone knows how to play the bond angle, it's Carney!
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
These knockout models supposedly eliminate Piezo1 from neurons, but neither paper mentions any possible effects on the considerable Piezo1 in endothelial cells. Anyone able to shed light on potential side effects? Thx! pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37098060/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38748529/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1 contributes to ultrasound neuromodulation - PubMed
Transcranial low-intensity ultrasound is a promising neuromodulation modality, with the advantages of noninvasiveness, deep penetration, and high spatiotemporal accuracy. However, the underlying biological mechanism of ultrasonic neuromodulation remains unclear, hindering the development of efficaci …
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Having been in academia for decades, sadly I’m not even mildly surprised at the lack of consequences.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Note that the amount moved from Canada is tiny, whereas half their US reserves are moving. It’s not about Canada!
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Probably more like a lack of trust. Possession is 9/10ths of the law and all that. But it’s also a first class “F U” signal, amplified if others follow suit.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Could this be a big part of the response to tFUS? Piezo1... "... suppresses functional hyperemia." "... activation triggers a mechano-feedback system that promotes blood flow recovery to baseline (whether from somatosensory or hypercapnic stimulation)." pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39375369/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Endothelial Piezo1 channel mediates mechano-feedback control of brain blood flow - PubMed
Hyperemia in response to neural activity is essential for brain health. A hyperemic response delivers O<sub>2</sub> and nutrients, clears metabolic waste, and concomitantly exposes cerebrovascular endothelial cells to hemodynamic forces. While neurovascular research has primarily centered on the fro …
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Paul Taylor @afni-pt.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Have you ever felt like something was missing from your #fmri results? Have you been worried about potential reproducibility issues? Well, this new @natmethods.nature.com article with 40+ coauthors shows how the simple change to transparent thresholding helps both. Go Figure! rdcu.be/B4tikBETdQZa
A comparison of old and new thresholding approaches for fMRI data. The newer, transparent thresholding allows for interpreting context, more complete modeling, a reduction of biases and an increase in meaningful content. This all leads to more accurate interpretations and improved reproducibility evaluations.
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tor @torwager.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
42 new #fmri tutorials to accompany our new book Elements of fMRI, with @fMRIstats. Run code in both #python and #matlab in your browser to explore. 7 sections, from conceptual foundations to machine learning and AI. torwager.github.io/elements-of-...
torwager.github.io
Elements of fMRI Analysis — Interactive Tutorials
Hands-on tutorials for the book Elements of fMRI Analysis: runnable MATLAB and Python code, thought questions, and self-quizzes for all 42 chapters.
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Evidence for a rod-to-cone lactate shuttle in the mammalian retina www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
The Unexpected Role of the Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase at the Neurovascular Unit: Beyond the Regulation of Cerebral Blood Flow pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39201757/ Another "better late than never," with possible implications for a contribution of vasculo-neural coupling to tFUS activity.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The Unexpected Role of the Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase at the Neurovascular Unit: Beyond the Regulation of Cerebral Blood Flow - PubMed
Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly versatile gasotransmitter that has first been shown to regulate cardiovascular function and then to exert tight control over a much broader range of processes, including neurotransmitter release, neuronal excitability, and synaptic plasticity. Endothelial NO synthase (e …
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Type-I nNOS neurons orchestrate cortical neural activity and vasomotion pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41217439/ (Better late than never!)
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Type-I nNOS neurons orchestrate cortical neural activity and vasomotion - PubMed
It is unknown how the brain orchestrates coordination of global neural and vascular dynamics. We sought to uncover the role of a sparse but unusual population of genetically distinct interneurons known as type-I nNOS neurons, using a novel pharmacological strategy to unilaterally ablate these neuron …
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Faster gradients would really be needed to get the most out of 5 T. But even with Cima.X style gradients I’d expect to be able to get to around 1 mm fMRI. Compressed sensing, GRAPPA & SMS should all perform slightly better at 5 T.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Ok, so that’s the next faster 3 T feature to drive resales! Imagine 2-4x faster slew…. Flyback EPI to eliminate ghosts for a start! Multiecho BOLD w/o GRAPPA…
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Reselling to installed base is where it’s at! And it’s why I’ve been pondering when the ever faster 3 T trick runs out of steam.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
While I’m pondering scanners of the future, what about moving to active chest/cardiac shielding so super fast whole body, symmetric gradients could be used over the head? Asymmetric gradients are so constraining, and loud!
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Also, if you’re a newbie then having a 5 T means mine’s bigger than yours! ;-) Ego is always a factor!
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
This may be the crux of the matter! All those 3 Ts and the big three needing a way to persuade people to upgrade, ideally for a higher priced device. How long can faster gradients and software obsolescence drive 3 T resales?
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
It’s really for the people who sit in the middle wanting more than 3 but not the expense (capex and staff costs) of a 7 T. I think I have such a market, and I have 3 and 7 T already! Space, T2* for familiar BOLD not VASO…. There are many fMRIers not going to 7 T who could but don’t.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
But so far the 7 T market has proved to be neuro focused and mostly research. If there are 10x potential sales of 5 Ts then the big three may decide that’s where they need to be.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Diagnostic is one market, I’m thinking of the (mostly academic) neuro research market. It will presumably be a numbers game, which is why price is really going to matter.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
But 7 T also has challenges for routine work and it’s still very expensive. The question is whether a 4.7/5 T at $4-5M is >> a premier 3 T for $3M. Even better if the existing 3 T sites work for 5 T, as the 3 Ts replaced the old 1.5 Ts.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I can wait for the abstract :-) I'm not in the market myself, just speculating on where I think the fMRI market might go in the next few years. If either GE, Philips or Siemens does a 5 T I suspect the other two follow. While it's a minor player they can safely ignore... for now!
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
That's what I think!!!!
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Varian/Siemens did a 4 T, too, it was the original scanner at my place. And U Alberta had a 4.7 T from the same era. With United Imaging in China now selling a 5 T we may see a shift….
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Do you think Siemens, GE or Philips will ever offer a 5 T for advanced neuro? While they might reduce their 7 T sales a bit, surely many research orgs would upgrade from premiere 3 T scanners if the price & specs were right.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Beyond the canonical HRF: Flexible temporal modeling reveals unconstrained BOLD profiles during naturalistic viewing pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42569467/
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Beyond the canonical HRF: Flexible temporal modeling reveals unconstrained BOLD profiles during naturalistic viewing - PubMed
Naturalistic stimuli, such as movies and narratives, are increasingly used in cognitive neuroscience to map cognitive and affective processes onto brain activity measured with functional MRI (fMRI). F...
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Denoising the central autonomic network: characterizing processes jointly associated with arousal and non-neuronal physiological artefacts in dynamic fMRI analyses www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
The logical step for the next administration is to nationalize SpaceX.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Teachable moment? The Guardian & its readers might appreciate a long form response to this example. The public can’t learn if they’re not taught responsibly, and they have to be reached where they are.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
But pseudo-motion dominates in the phase encoding axis of EPI; that is, a translation. So I've always wondered whether we couldn't use just the three rotations to calculate FD as a better estimate of real head motion instead: practicalfmri.blogspot.com/2024/04/can-... (2/2)
practicalfmri.blogspot.com
Can we separate real and apparent motion in QC of fMRI data?
A few years ago, Jo Etzel and I got into a brief but useful investigation of the effects of apparent head motion in fMRI data collected wi...
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Framewise displacement (FD) uses the three translations & three rotations from volume realignment ("motion correction") to estimate total motion amount, and define high/low movers. In this paper, as in earlier work, a notch filter (~0.3 Hz) tries to deal with pseudo-motion from breathing. (1/2)
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The State of Motion: Demographic and representational consequences of motion-based exclusion in fMRI www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
More evidence of motion as stable trait which biases fMRI group studies.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Or folks closer to the median forced to keep a job that’s abusive cuz healthcare?
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Given where things sit globally, about the only optimistic take I can find is if Burnham & co enact a secret plan to circumvent the US and bolster domestic R&D, tech investment, energy production etc without tipping their hand to Trump. China can do this, but can the UK…?
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I suspect you'll get a little bit of all of these, but not enough of any of them to really change directions. It's like being a fly on the wall of a department meeting in academia!!!
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Perhaps unrealistically, I was expecting a more Churchillian tone out of the gate. This is more of the same. Starmer could have done what's been done this week, and sold it just as well (badly!). My verdict so far: opportunity missed.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I didn’t listen, and the coverage immediately after was all about the lack of lectern which means it missed the mark. It was the wrong topic for the event. He’s already losing the PR battle, which is what Starmer did.
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practiCal fMRI @practicalfmri.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Didn’t make the BBC or LBC reporting I saw. And it’s also not one of the top issues that led to the Starmer coup. Burnham isn’t driving the narrative and if he fails to do it by the weekend, it will be done for him. He looks unprepared. First impressions stick.
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