Full‐brain coverage and high‐resolution imaging capabilities of passband b‐SSFP fMRI at 3T

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Passband balanced‐steady‐state free precession (b‐SSFP) fMRI is a recently developed method that utilizes the passband (flat portion) of the b‐SSFP off‐resonance response to measure MR signal changes elicited by changes in tissue oxygenation following increases in neuronal activity. Rapid refocusing and short readout durations of b‐SSFP, combined with the relatively large flat portion of the b‐SSFP off‐resonance spectrum allows distortion‐free full‐brain coverage with only two acquisitions. This allows for high‐resolution functional imaging, without the spatial distortion frequently encountered in conventional high‐resolution functional images. Finally, the 3D imaging compatibility of the b‐SSFP acquisitions permits isotropic‐voxel‐size high‐resolution acquisitions. In this study we address some of the major technical issues involved in obtaining passband b‐SSFP‐based functional brain images with practical imaging parameters and demonstrate the advantages through breath‐holding and visual field mapping experiments. Magn Reson Med, 2008.