Myelination selectively modulates BOLD signal in white matter

Myelination selectively modulates BOLD signal in white matter | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Myelination selectively modulates BOLD signal in white matter Yurui Gao, Lyuan Xu, Kurt G. Schilling, Soyoung Choi, Ran Chen, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6597153/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract There is increasing recognition that blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals are detectable in white matter (WM) and reflect an important, heretofore overlooked functional activity in the brain, but their biophysical origins remain understudied and poorly understood. By integrating several disparate, multimodal data sets, we established the associations of resting state BOLD signals with key microstructural, hemodynamic and metabolic features in WM. In particular, we identified the roles of myelination and fiber type in modulating BOLD effects, and derived relationships between measurements of BOLD signal power and cerebral blood volume, flow, oxygen extraction and metabolic rate of oxygen consumption, which are predicted using a simple theory and then verified empirically. Our findings demonstrate that myelin selectively influences the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) in BOLD signals, and that differences in myelin content account for variations in their temporal spectra and hemodynamic response functions, but these in turn are qualitatively different in association versus projection fibers. Other determinants of BOLD in WM are further revealed by converging biological, genomic and neurochemical evidence, including measurements of neurite and mitochondrial densities. Moreover, analyses of images of the optic nerve from human subjects confirm that BOLD activations evoked by visual stimuli are preferentially localized to unmyelinated portions, with minimal responses in fully myelinated regions of the same nerve, suggesting a myelin-dependent requirement for BOLD effects in WM. Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging white matter BOLD fMRI fALFF biophysical model myelin hemodynamic metabolism neurite mitochondria Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files 0000Suppl.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6597153","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":452290520,"identity":"d3de41b6-566a-49ed-a70f-845091e9cb37","order_by":0,"name":"Yurui Gao","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA+ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLCCBBDB3gAk2BgYDJiZQSxmIrTwHIBpYWxsIKgFDCQSoFoYCGgxuJH7TOIBQ608v+Qbw88FZTb55uyM7Q8YKqwTG3BqSTcDmn/ccObsHGPpGefSLHc2g2w5k45HSxobUMsxxg230xKkedsOGxgcBmphbDtMUIv9hpvHkn/ztv2HavlHUEtN4oYbzMeAthyAamnArUXyzDNmiwSDA8kze5KPWfOcSzawBPplRsKxdGNcWviOpzHe/FFRZ9vPfrD5Nk+ZnYE5/+EDHz7UWMvi0qJwAOy8w2jCCTiUg4A8xKw6PEpGwSgYBaNgxAMAl2palmWUpp8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Vanderbilt University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yurui","middleName":"","lastName":"Gao","suffix":""},{"id":452290544,"identity":"2757fa8e-74f7-4cc2-a34d-de57399e2dc3","order_by":1,"name":"Lyuan Xu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Vanderbilt University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lyuan","middleName":"","lastName":"Xu","suffix":""},{"id":452290588,"identity":"b4471458-a537-4c2a-981b-5ab577cef57e","order_by":2,"name":"Kurt G. 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