Introduction of a new simple dynamic phantom for physical BOLD effect simulation.

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Biophysics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) relies on Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent (BOLD) contrast.
• Accurate simulation of BOLD contrast is crucial for developing and validating fMRI techniques.
• Existing simulation methods may be costly or complex to implement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a new, cost-effective, and user-friendly physical phantom for simulating BOLD contrast in fMRI.
• To evaluate the phantom's performance as an fMRI simulator.

Main Methods:

• A physical phantom was constructed using thin pipelines within a gel volume to mimic vascular structures.
• Quantitative T2* and R2* measurements were performed.
• BOLD fMRI experiments were conducted on the phantom, with analysis using custom software.

Main Results:

• The phantom demonstrated T2* and R2* behavior consistent with published data.
• Successful simulation of BOLD contrast was achieved.
• Adjustable parameters, such as phantom angle, influenced signal change and activation area.
• The phantom exhibited good reproducibility over a one-month period.

Conclusions:

• The developed phantom is a viable tool for fMRI simulation.
• It can be used to study the sensitivity and specificity of BOLD fMRI sequences and analysis algorithms.