Investigating neural responses using fast, non-selective MRI and simultaneous EEG

Motivation: Recent reports of DIANA responses open the possibility of non-invasively recording neural activity using fMRI. Goal(s): We aim to test fast, non-selective MRI to better evaluate the feasibility of capturing DIANA responses in the human brain. Approach: We develop a fast bSSFP sequence without gradient encoding to record the center of k-space during neural activation with a temporal resolution of 3ms. Results: We observe MRI response dynamics on the order of tens to hundreds of milliseconds, and compare to simultaneously acquired EEG measurements. Impact: We tested a fast, non-selective MRI sequence to provide preliminary evidence for direct measurement of neural responses in the human brain, and compare these responses to simultaneously acquired EEG measurements.