Integrated Resting-state and Breath-hold Paradigm for Reliable Cerebrovascular Reactivity Mapping and Functional Connectivity

Motivation: There is a lack of head-to-head evaluation of resting-state (RS) and breath-hold (BH) cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR). Goal(s): Propose an integrated paradigm combining RS- and BH-BOLD acquisition in a single run, and evaluate the reliability of RS- and BH-CVR mapping with this protocol. Approach: Combined RS- and BH-BOLD data were acquired on a 7T scanner. CVR mappings of various time windows were calculated and compared. Results: RS-BOLD can be calculated for CVR mapping but is susceptible to BOLD signal outliers. BH-BOLD produces stable CVR mappings with higher dynamic range. The integrated paradigm guarantees reliable BH-CVR mapping and RS-fMRI analysis. Impact: The introduction of the RS-BH paradigm offers an avenue for reliable CVR mapping with high dynamic range and is compatible with conventional RS-fMRI analysis.