fMRI in Patients with Implanted Electrodes: Understanding and Mitigating Imaging Artifacts

Motivation: Model susceptibility-induced signal degradation in fMRI in patients with implanted electrodes and reduce imaging artifacts across electrodes. Goal(s): Develop a model to understand and mitigate susceptibility effects due to implanted electrodes in fMRI. Approach: Model electrode (platinum sphere) and brain activation contrast (cylinders representing blood vessels) at 3T. Calculate intravoxel dephasing and assess the impact of the electrode on signal amplitude and activation contrast. Investigate the impact of echo times on signal loss. Results: Key findings reveal signal enhancement with increased distance from the electrode and reduced contrast loss with shorter echo times. Impact: This research could redefine future functional diagnostics in patients with implanted electrodes such as epilepsy or Parkinson’s disease patients, leading to more precise surgical interventions and improved patient care. Mitigating susceptibility-induced image artifacts will impact neuroscience research and clinical applications.