Advancing 7T Clinical fMRI: Automated Post-Processing with Prism and PSF-Based Distortion Correction

Motivation: Ultra-high-field (7T) fMRI provides enhanced BOLD contrast and spatial resolution for clinical applications but faces challenges from image distortions. Integrating effective solutions into a streamlined clinical workflow is crucial. Goal(s): To integrate Prism's automated fMRI post-processing and PSF-based distortion correction (DiCo) for improved reliability of 7T clinical fMRI. Approach: A clinical fMRI workflow incorporating point-spread-function (PSF) mapping-based DiCo and vendor-provided motion correction (MoCo) was implemented with corresponding modifications in Prism's post-processing pipeline. Results: The integration significantly improved fMRI-to-anatomical alignment and demonstrated comparable MoCo performance to the method used by Prism across multiple exams. Impact: Integrating PSF-based distortion correction with Prism's automated workflow significantly improves fMRI data reliability and alignment at 7T, advancing clinical applications of ultra-high-field fMRI with minimal user input and optimized workflow efficiency.