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Abstract #1443

Are all fMRI sequences equal? An investigation into functional reproducibility in EPI and zero TE sequences for animal fMRI

Lauren Daley1, Wenju Pan1, and Shella Keilholz1
1Biomedical Engineering, Emory University/Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, United States

Synopsis

Keywords: fMRI Acquisition, fMRI Acquisition, Zero TE sequences

Motivation: fMRI typically uses EPI; however, EPI is problematic, particularly for animal studies. Zero TE sequences offer a motion-insensitive, acoustically silent alternative to EPI.

Goal(s): This study acquired and analyzed age-matched mice, scanned at 9.4T for fMRI using EPI, ZTE and SORDINO, to test the reliability and reproducibility of functional connectivity produced by each sequence.

Approach: Interhemispheric differences, significance and test/retest metrics across scans were calculated for 10 key networks at a group level.

Results: When compared to conventional EPI FC, zero TE sequences demonstrate similar network correlations and levels of reproducibility across scans. Thus, zero TE sequences are a feasible alternative to EPI.

Impact: Validating an alternative to EPI fMRI offers researchers greater breadth in the design of their experiments; the motion insensitivity, acoustic silence and lack of susceptibility artifacts allows for more complex imaging systems, such as multi-modal setups and stimulation paradigms.

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Keywords