Synopsis

Preclinical MRI research of non-human primates brings in several advantages compared to humans. They allow comprehensive, multimodal investigations on the neural origins of functional hemodynamic signals, selective activation or inhibition of specific brain regions to understand their roles in complex processes such as perception and cognition, and the investigation of neural circuits with cell specificity. NHP can be imaged in state-of-the-art MRI systems with high SNR, spatial, and temporal resolution. The primary challenges are (1) anesthesia as a major confound for fMRI studies, and (2) the need to train/habituate the animals to perform specialized tasks while restrained.