Citations 1
Improved Resting-State Functional MRI Using Multi-Echo Echo-Planar Imaging on a Compact 3T MRI Scanner with High-Performance Gradients
Kang, Daehun , In, Myung‐Ho , Halverson, Maria, Meyer, Nolan , Ahmed, Zaki , Gray, Erin M. , Fernandez, Brice , Black, David F. , Welker, Kirk M. , Trzasko, Joshua D. , Huston, John , Shu, Yunhong , Huston, John , Halverson, Maria A, Meyer, Nolan K , Ahmed, Zaki , Fernandez, Brice , Shu, Yunhong , Kang, Daehun , In, Myung-Ho , Jo, Hang Joon , Madhavan, Radhika , Foo, Thomas , Bernstein, Matt A.
Sensors | April 28, 2023 | Volume: 23 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 4329
In blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD)-based resting-state functional (RS-fMRI) studies, usage of multi-echo echo-planar-imaging (ME-EPI) is limited due to unacceptable late echo times when high spatial resolution is used. Equipped with high-performance gradients, the compact 3T MRI system (C3T) enables a three-echo whole-brain ME-EPI protocol with smaller than 2.5 mm isotropic voxel and shorter than 1 s repetition time, as required in landmark fMRI studies. The performance of the ME-EPI was comprehensively evaluated with signal variance reduction and region-of-interest-, seed- and independent-component-analysis-based functional connectivity analyses and compared with a counterpart of single-echo EPI with the shortest TR possible. Through the multi-echo combination, the thermal noise level is reduced. Functional connectivity, as well as signal intensity, are recovered in the medial orbital sulcus and anterior transverse collateral sulcus in ME-EPI. It is demonstrated that ME-EPI provides superior sensitivity and accuracy for detecting functional connectivity and/or brain networks in comparison with single-echo EPI. In conclusion, the high-performance gradient enabled high-spatial-temporal resolution ME-EPI would be the method of choice for RS-fMRI study on the C3T.