Customization of neonatal functional magnetic resonance imaging: A preclinical phantom-based study

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Pediatric Research
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) use in neonates and infants is increasing.
• Standard MRI protocols, developed for adults, present challenges for pediatric populations.
• Neonatal fMRI requires specialized methodological considerations due to unique physiological and practical constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish methodological guidelines for neonatal fMRI.
• To evaluate the performance of different fMRI hardware (head coils) and software (sequences).
• To optimize signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and temporal SNR (tSNR) for infant brain imaging.

Main Methods:

• Compared SNR and tSNR using a phantom across three commercial head-neck coils.
• Assessed performance of single-band versus multiband fMRI sequences.
• Evaluated the impact of a prescan normalize filter on SNR and tSNR.

Main Results:

• The prescan normalize filter significantly increased overall SNR.
• A 20-channel head coil showed slightly higher SNR compared to other coils.
• Single-band EPI sequences yielded higher tSNR than multiband sequences, with a pediatric head coil showing an advantage for tSNR.

Conclusions:

• Coil selection and sequence planning are critical for optimizing neonatal fMRI.
• Findings provide practical guidance for researchers and clinicians conducting infant fMRI studies.
• Recommendations address ethical and technical challenges in pediatric neuroimaging.