Abstract

Significance Resting-state functional connectivity mapping exploits correlations in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal across the brain. However, results are difficult to interpret without an understanding of the neural correlates of these hemodynamic fluctuations. This work uses mice in which neural activity and brain hemodynamics can be mapped simultaneously. We show that resting-state hemodynamics can be predicted from spontaneous neural activity and correspond to a series of driven increases in local blood volume, coupled with spontaneous, bilaterally symmetric fluctuations in excitatory neural activity. This result provides reassurance that resting-state functional connectivity has neural origins. The network-like spontaneous neural activity visualized here represents an underexplored feature of neural activity in the awake brain.