Abstract #3333

Steady-State Functional MRI Using Small-Tip Fast Recovery (STFR) Imaging

Jon-Fredrik Nielsen¹, Hao Sun², Jeffrey A. Fessler², Douglas C. Noll¹

¹Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; ²Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States

"Small-tip fast recovery" (STFR) is a recently-proposed steady-state imaging sequence that is a potential alternative to balanced SSFP. STFR relies on a tailored "tip-up" pulse to produce similar image contrast as bSSFP but with reduced banding artifacts. We evaluate the use of this new sequence for functional MRI using Monte Carlo Bloch simulations, and fMRI observations in visual cortex. Our results indicate that STFR can produce enhanced functional contrast compared to passband bSSFP.