Task-evoked deactivations: dissociation between BOLD fMRI and FDG

Task-evoked decreases in blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signals are a well-recognized phenomenon in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. These deactivations are most prominent in the default mode network (DMN), a set of regions most active at rest. The metabolic basis of task-induced BOLD fMRI deactivations remains unclear. To address this question, we used PET/MRI to simultaneously measure BOLD fMRI and cerebral glucose consumption (CMRglc) during visuomotor and language tasks in 22 cognitively unimpaired older adults (15 female, 7 male). Task performance increased BOLD signals in task-relevant regions and decreased BOLD signals in the DMN. Positive BOLD responses generally coincided with increases in CMRglc. In contrast, CMRglc did not decrease in regions showing negative BOLD responses; instead, it typically increased. In particular, the posterior cingulate cortex showed significant CMRglc elevations in conjunction with negative BOLD responses. Whole-brain intensity normalization partially restored task-induced decreases in CMRglc, indicating that relative reductions appear in regions in which CMRglc increases are smaller than the global average. Overall, our results imply that BOLD fMRI deactivations can occur in conjunction with stable or even increased glucose consumption.