Combining arterial blood contrast with <scp>BOLD</scp> increases <scp>fMRI</scp> intracortical contrast

Priovoulos, Nikos; Oliveira, Ícaro A.F.; Poser, Benedikt A.; Norris, David G.; Zwaag, Wietske van der

doi:10.1002/hbm.26227

Cited by 3 publications

References 80 publications

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Combining arterial blood contrast with BOLD increases fMRI intracortical contrast

Priovoulos

Oliveira

Poser

et al. 2023

Human Brain Mapping

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BOLD fMRI is widely applied in human neuroscience but is limited in its spatial specificity due to a cortical‐depth‐dependent venous bias. This reduces its localization specificity with respect to neuronal responses, a disadvantage for neuroscientific research. Here, we modified a submillimeter BOLD protocol to selectively reduce venous and tissue signal and increase cerebral blood volume weighting through a pulsed saturation scheme (dubbed Arterial Blood Contrast) at 7 T. Adding Arterial Blood Contrast on top of the existing BOLD contrast modulated the intracortical contrast. Isolating the Arterial Blood Contrast showed a response free of pial‐surface bias. The results suggest that Arterial Blood Contrast can modulate the typical fMRI spatial specificity, with important applications in in‐vivo neuroscience.

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Combining arterial blood contrast with BOLD increases fMRI intracortical contrast

Priovoulos

Oliveira

Poser

et al. 2023

Human Brain Mapping

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Methods for cerebellar imaging analysis

Priovoulos,

Bazin

2023

Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences

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Enabling brain-wide mapping of layer-specific functional connectivity at 3T via layer-dependent fMRI with draining-vein suppression

Chang,

Lin,

Giovanello

2023

Preprint

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Layer-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) offers a compelling avenue for investigating directed functional connectivity (FC). To construct a comprehensive map of brain-wide directed FC, several technical criteria must be met, including sub-mm spatial resolution, adequate temporal resolution, functional sensitivity, global brain coverage, and high spatial specificity. Although gradient echo (GE)–based echo planar imaging (EPI) is commonly used for rapid fMRI acquisition, it faces significant challenges due to the draining-vein effect, particularly when utilizing blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contrast. In this study, we mitigated this effect by incorporating velocity-nulling (VN) gradients into a GE-BOLD fMRI sequence, opting for a 3T magnetic field strength over 7T. We also integrated several advanced techniques, such as simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) acceleration and NORDIC denoising, to enhance temporal resolution, spatial coverage, and signal sensitivity. Collectively, the VN fMRI method exhibited notable spatial specificity, as evidenced by the identification of double-peak activation patterns within the primary motor cortex (M1) during a finger-tapping task. Additionally, the technique demonstrated BOLD sensitivity in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). Furthermore, our VN fMRI technique displayed superior robustness when compared to conventional fMRI approaches across participants. Our findings of directed FC elucidate several layer-specific functional relationships between different brain regions and align closely with existing literature. Given the widespread availability of 3T scanners, this technical advancement has the potential for significant impact across multiple domains of neuroscience research.

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Combining arterial blood contrast with BOLD increases fMRI intracortical contrast

Cited by 3 publications

References 80 publications

Combining arterial blood contrast with BOLD increases fMRI intracortical contrast

Combining arterial blood contrast with BOLD increases fMRI intracortical contrast

Methods for cerebellar imaging analysis

Enabling brain-wide mapping of layer-specific functional connectivity at 3T via layer-dependent fMRI with draining-vein suppression

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