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Abstract #1106

Development of Simulator Training to Reduce Head Motion Artifact in FMRI

Shawn Ranieri1,2, Shaun Boe3, Fred Tam1, Lauren Gordon4, Tara Dawson1, Jon Ween5, William McIlroy6, Simon J. Graham1,7

1Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto, ON, Canada; 2Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 3Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; 4Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada; 5Kunin-Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit , Brain Health Complex, Toronto, ON, Canada; 6Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada; 7Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada


There has been a longstanding need to develop techniques that improve data quality in fMRI by suppressing motion artifact. Head motion exceeding a few millimetres remains problematic and high interest participants including motor stroke patients often exceed this threshold. Here, a new technique is described that attempts to reduce participant head motion through visual feedback training in an fMRI simulator. Results from three stroke patients show that simulator training had a significant effect in suppressing head motion: (1) 11.25 mm before, 0.83 mm after; (2) 1.63 mm before, 0.67 mm after; (3) 4.47 mm before, 0.51 mm after.