BOLD-fMRI is widely used to study brain activity but suffers from signal dropout near air-tissue interfaces and lack of sensitivity to microvasculature. A combined spin- and gradient-echo (SAGE) acquisition, previously implemented for perfusion MRI, may be able to reduce signal dropout and provide sensitivity to microvasculature for fMRI applications. SAGE-fMRI presents its own challenges, namely lack of full brain coverage and poor temporal and spatial resolution. These challenges can be overcome by combining in-plane and through-plane acceleration factors. This study aims to optimize the SAGE-fMRI protocol, balancing acceleration of acquisition with image quality.
This abstract and the presentation materials are available to members only; a login is required.