Non-invasive characterisation of neurovascular coupling in the human brain using simultaneous DC-magnetoencephalography and time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy

Functional brain imaging methods map neuronal activations indirectly through the accompanying neurovascular response. However, awareness is increasing that the link between neuronal and vascular task-related responses is all but a simple linear transform. Recently, we have shown that in a technically complementary approach neurovascular coupling can be analyzed non-invasively in the human brain in principle by simultaneous DC-magnetoencephalography (DC-MEG with brain-to-sensor modulation) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). In extension to first nonselective NIRS and DC-MEG recordings we demonstrate here that…