先前的功能性磁共振成像(fMRI)研究表明,当将锌纳米颗粒添加到犬科动物的气味剂时,神经激活会增加。在这里,我们证明了锌纳米颗粒在犬嗅觉网络的部分中上调了定向脑连接。这提供了先前报道的在锌纳米颗粒存在下狗的气味检测能力增强的解释。在这项研究中,我们从清醒和无拘无束的狗中获得了功能磁共振成像数据,同时它们暴露在有和没有锌纳米颗粒的气味下,悬浮在水蒸气中的锌纳米颗粒,以及仅仅是水蒸气。我们获得了嗅觉网络的大脑区域之间的定向连通性,与仅气味剂相比,气味剂锌纳米颗粒的状况明显更强,水蒸气+锌纳米颗粒和水蒸气单独。我们观察到在锌纳米颗粒存在下犬嗅觉网络的路径显着增强。这一结果表明,锌纳米颗粒可能被用来提高犬在非常低的气味浓度的环境中的检测能力,否则不会被发现。
Prior functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies have indicated increased neural activation when zinc nanoparticles are added to odorants in canines. Here we demonstrate that zinc nanoparticles up-regulate directional brain connectivity in parts of the canine olfactory network. This provides an explanation for previously reported enhancement in the odor detection capability of the dogs in the presence of zinc nanoparticles. In this
study, we obtained fMRI data from awake and unrestrained dogs while they were being exposed to odorants with and without zinc nanoparticles, zinc nanoparticles suspended in water vapor, as well as just water vapor alone. We obtained directional connectivity between the brain regions of the olfactory network that were significantly stronger for the condition of odorant + zinc nanoparticles compared to just odorants, water vapor + zinc nanoparticles and water vapor alone. We observed significant strengthening of the paths of the canine olfactory network in the presence of zinc nanoparticles. This result indicates that zinc nanoparticles could potentially be used to increase canine detection capabilities in the environments of very low concentrations of the odorants, which would have otherwise been undetected.