MULTI-ECHO FUNCTIONAL IMAGING ON AN ULTRA HIGH-PERFORMANCE HEAD-ONLY GRADIENT SYSTEM

Motivation: This abstract focuses on educating on how high-gradient MRI systems can utilize the multi-echo functional MRI (ME-fMRI) techniques. Goal(s): We explain the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal technique and how additional echoes can improve the signal fidelity. Approach: The ME-fMRI, using three or more echoes allow for the pixelwise T2* decay to be modeled, and as BOLD contrast is a function of T2* evolution over time, an experiment sampling the voxel-wise T2* signal decay can be used to separate BOLD from artifact signal constituents. Results: Gradient systems with ultra-rapid slew rates (> 400 T/m/s) allow ME-fMRI to reduce artefacts from flow, motion, and susceptibility effects. Impact: MRI systems with ultra-high gradient systems can reduce artefacts from flow, motion, and susceptibility effects in the BOLD contrast technique using an ME-fMRI technique with three or more echoes to improve fidelity of fMRI.