Application of sensitivity‐encoded echo‐planar imaging for blood oxygen level‐dependent functional brain imaging †

Abstract

The benefits of sensitivity‐encoded (SENSE) echo‐planar imaging (EPI) for functional MRI (fMRI) based on blood oxygen level‐dependent (BOLD) contrast were quantitatively investigated at 1.5 T. For experiments with 3.4 × 3.4 × 4.0 mm³ resolution, SENSE allowed the single‐shot EPI image acquisition duration to be shortened from 24.1 to 12.4 ms, resulting in a reduced sensitivity to geometric distortions and T blurring. Finger‐tapping fMRI experiments, performed on eight normal volunteers, showed an overall 18% loss in t‐score in the activated area, which was substantially smaller than expected based on the image signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and g‐factor, but similar to the loss predicted by a model that takes physiologic noise into account. Magn Reson Med 48:1011–1020, 2002. Published 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.