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BOLD fMRI at 9.4T with 3D stack-of-spirals readouts
Alejandro Monreal-Madrigal1, Denizhan Kurban2, Desmond H Y Tse3
1Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. alejandromonreal93@outlook.com.
Magma (New York, N.Y.)
|September 29, 2025
Summary
Segmented spiral-out readouts show promise for ultra-high field (UHF) functional MRI (fMRI) at sub-millimeter resolutions. This method optimizes the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal by using shorter echo times, improving temporal signal-to-noise ratio.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Background:
- Ultra-high field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers enhanced sensitivity for functional MRI (fMRI).
- Achieving sub-millimeter resolution in BOLD fMRI at UHF presents technical challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate spiral readouts for sub-millimeter BOLD fMRI at 9.4T.
- To validate simulations of the BOLD point spread function (PSF) using functional experiments.
Main Methods:
- Simulations and functional experiments assessed spiral-out and spiral-in readout performance.
- Investigated the impact of echo time (TE) relative to T2* on BOLD signal.
Main Results:
- Spiral-out readouts with TE < T2* maintained BOLD sensitivity.
- Shorter TE reduced repetition time (TR), enhanced temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR), and minimized off-resonance effects.
Conclusions:
- Spiral-in readouts are suitable for lower-resolution UHF fMRI.
- Segmented spiral-out readouts show significant potential for mesoscopic BOLD fMRI at UHF (>7T).
