High Resolution BOLD fMRI of the Human Retina of Oxygen & Carbogen Inhalation

Yi Zhang^1,2, Qi Peng^1,2, Oscar San Emeterio Nateras², Timothy Q. Duong^1,2

BOLD fMRI of the human retina is challenging mainly due to thin retina thickness, large magnetic susceptibility variation in the orbital region and potential eye movements. This study demonstrated an innovative fMRI application to image normal human retina associated with oxygen and carbogen challenges. fMRI utilized an inversion-recovery of Echo Shifting using a Train of Observations (IR-PRESTO) acquisition to suppress vitreous signal and to achieve high spatiotemporal resolution free of susceptibility artifacts. This approach has the potential to open up new avenues for retinal research and complement existing optical imaging techniques.