In this study we demonstrate how a zero-echo-time (ZTE) technique can overcome several limitations of traditional fMRI experiments. We demonstrate that ZTE fMRI can detect functional activations with positive iron oxide contrast, termed iZTE-fMRI, at an approximate three-fold magnitude increase in tCNR when compared to GRE-techniques in-vivo - with the further potential demonstrated from phantom studies to increase tCNR more significantly under optimal contrast agent dose. We also show that iZTE fMRI experiments can produce functional images with markedly less susceptibility artifacts and acoustic noise than standard GRE techniques.
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