On the origin of sustained negative BOLD response

Several brain regions exhibit a sustained negative BOLD response (NBR) during specific tasks, as assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging. The origin of the NBR and the relationships between the vascular/metabolic dynamics and the underlying neural activity are highly debated. Converging evidence indicates that NBR, in human and non-human primates, can be interpreted in terms of decrease in neuronal activity under its basal level, rather than a purely vascular phenomenon. However, the scarcity of direct experimental evidence suggests caution and encourages the ongoing utilization of multimodal approaches in the investigation of this effect.