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Abstract:
In recent years, more and more laboratories have begun to develop fMRI for awake non-human primates. This research is essential to provide a link between non-invasive hemodynamic signals in the human brain and the vast body of knowledge gained from invasive electrophysiological studies in monkeys. Given that their brain structure is so closely related to that of humans and that monkeys can be trained to perform complicated behavioral tasks, results obtained with macaque fMRI and electrophysiology can be compared to fMRI results obtained in humans, thus providing information which is crucial to better understand the mechanisms by which different cortical areas perform their functions in the human brain. However, although the first publications on fMRI in awake behaving macaques appeared ten years ago [1], [2] and [3], relatively few laboratories perform such experiments routinely, a sign of the significant technical difficulties that must be overcome. The higher spatial resolution required because of the anima
ls smaller brain results in poorer signal-to-noise ratios than in human fMRI, which is further compounded by problems due to animal motion. Here, we discuss the special challenges and benefits of fMRI in the awake monkey and review the methodologies and strategies for scanning behaving macaques.
