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Abstract

Introduction: The globus pallidus/pallidum (GP) receives cortical feedback from deeper layer V via the striatum and connects with the thalamus and other subcortical nuclei [1,2]. The GP connected thalamus further engages in feedforward input to the medial layer 4 of the cortex [3]. With such a connectivity scheme within the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop, GP engages in a broad array of brain functions, including motor control and cognitive functions. However, the GP's functional connectivity concerning cortical laminar organization has not been investigated in the human brain. To address this gap, our study employed high-resolution fMRI to map the functional connectivity of the GP with respect to the cortical depth in the human brain. Methods: Subjects: 16 healthy subjects (Age 23-39 Y, Mean age: 27 Y, 9 F, 7 M) participated in the study with written informed consent before participation. The local research ethics committee approved the study. Data acquisition: MRI was performed at 9.4 Tesla (Magnetom, Siemens) using a custom-built 16 transmit and 31 receive channel head coil. We acquired structural MP2RAGE (0.6 mm isotropic) and rsfMRI data (SMS EPI, FLEET pre-scan, MB 3, 1mm isotropic, TR 2200 ms, TE 27 ms, 117 slices, 300-360 scans, 10 scans with reversed phase encoding) [4].