A method (ALABAMA) for regional estimation of the coupling between R2* fluctuations and log signal intensity (S0) (related to R2*-CBF coupling via a calibration factor) during the resting state is proposed. The method incorporates pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) labeling together with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) and double-echo EPI acquisition for fast temporal resolution. The sequence yields robust positive ΔR2*-Δln S0 correlations in most resting-state networks, which may then be used to estimate resting-state neuronal-vascular coupling (NVC) with an additional calibration scan. However, negative correlations were found in posterior DMN and central executive network (CEN) regions, possibly reflective of altered flow-metabolism relationships.
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