Combining R2* Mapping and Slice Registration for fMRI Analysis of Moving Subjects

Sharmishtaa Seshamani¹, Chris Gatenby, Mads Fogtmann¹, Xi Cheng¹, Manjiri Dighe, Colin Studholme¹

This abstract presents a method for combining R2* mapping with volume and slice correction to address motion and slice spin history artifacts in fMRI data of moving subjects. Experiments are presented on an adult with and without controlled motion, using a finger tapping paradigm. Results show that signal changes in the R2* map of the moving subject do not suffer from the severe motion artifacts present in the T2* weighted images. This is a very promising approach for both task based and resting state analysis of moving subjects.