Feasibility of submillimeter functional quantitative susceptibility mapping using 3D echo planar imaging at 7 T

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is a tool for mapping tissue susceptibility. Using QSM for functional brain mapping, it is possible to directly quantify blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) susceptibility changes. This study presents a submillimeter functional QSM (fQSM) approach compared to BOLD fMRI from data acquired with 3D gradient-echo echo planar imaging (EPI) at ultra-high field. Complex EPI data were acquired in nine healthy subjects with varying temporal and spatial resolutions and used for BOLD fMRI and for fQSM. Right-hand finger tapping experiments were performed as well as one measurement with intentional subject movement. Susceptibility maps were computed using 3D path-based unwrapping, the variable-kernel sophisticated harmonic artifact reduction for phase data, and the streaking artifact reduction for QSM algorithm. Functional data analysis included general linear modeling and computation of z-scores. Submillimeter data were denoised using NOise reduction with DIstribution Corrected (NORDIC), which improved z-scores in the motor cortex for fQSM and fMRI. An expected increase in BOLD fMRI signal and corresponding decrease in magnetic susceptibility was observed in sensorimotor areas during active periods. For all experiments, fQSM showed smaller activation regions compared with fMRI. The percentage of high negative t-values localized in the cortex was higher for fQSM (52%) than for positive or negative t-values for fMRI (45%). For the scans with intentional motion, movement exceeded the size of a voxel, but paradigm dependent signal evolution could be recovered using motion correction. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the feasibility of submillimeter whole-brain fQSM with voxel volume of 0.53 μL. In comparison to traditional BOLD fMRI, fQSM provided improved localization of brain activation within the cortex, especially in submillimeter 3D EPI sequences.