CSF-Suppression Improves Signal Stability of ASL Time Series

Yufen Chen¹, David Minkoff¹, Jiongjiong Wang¹, John A. Detre¹

ASL-fMRI times series are typically acquired using EPI, which are heavily T2* weighted. The high signal of CSF and partial volume effects between CSF and gray matter lead to large signal fluctuations which affect the sensitivity for detection of functional activation. For this study, a selective inversion pulse was used to suppress CSF signal in a pseudo-continuous ASL time series. CSF-suppression reduced time series standard deviation by 33% (p=0.022) compared to the unsuppressed time series. The improved stability afforded by CSF-suppressed ASL is beneficial for ASL-fMRI.