Rapid Digit Mapping in the Human Brain at 3T

Jolinda Smith¹, Sergei Bogdanov¹, Scott Frey¹

We have developed an MRI compatible pneumatic stimulation system for the mapping of hand and face representations in the human brain. The system is highly flexible and easily accommodates subjects with different body and hand sizes. By using this device together with a BOLD EPI imaging sequence with 1.5 mm in-plane resolution we have been able to produce detailed maps of the somatosensory representation of the digits in human subjects with an acquisition time totaling approximately 14 minutes.