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Rapid full-brain fMRI with an accelerated multi shot 3D EPI sequence using both UNFOLD and GRAPPA
Onur Afacan1, W Scott Hoge, Firdaus Janoos
1Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Center for Digital Signal Processing, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. onurafacan@gmail.com
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
|November 19, 2011
Summary
This study introduces an accelerated 3D echo-planar imaging sequence to enhance temporal resolution in functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans. The new technique improves scan speed, enabling better capture of rapid dynamic brain changes during complex mental tasks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Background:
- Functional MRI (fMRI) is crucial for understanding complex mental processes.
- High spatial and temporal resolution are needed for whole-brain imaging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an accelerated multishot 3D echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence.
- To increase the temporal resolution of fMRI studies.
Main Methods:
- Utilized UNFOLD and GRAPPA acceleration techniques in the secondary phase encoding direction.
- Compared a new 3D EPI sequence (TR 1.02s) with standard 2D EPI (TR 3s) and multishot 3D EPI (TR 3s).
- Tested with both block design and event-related fMRI paradigms.
Main Results:
- The accelerated sequence achieved similar activation regions as standard sequences in block design fMRI with slightly increased t-scores.
- Demonstrated improved temporal resolution for capturing rapid dynamic changes in event-related paradigms.
- Reduced scan time effectively while maintaining imaging quality.
Conclusions:
- The proposed accelerated 3D EPI sequence enhances temporal resolution in fMRI.
- This advancement aids in the detailed study of complex mental processes and dynamic brain activity.
- Offers a more efficient approach for high-resolution whole-brain imaging.
