T1234: A distortion-matched structural scan solution to misregistration of high resolution fMRI data, Part 1

Raw and processed MRI data of the study entiled: T1234-Part 1

Authors:  Chung (Kenny) Kan1, Rüdiger Stirnberg2, Marcela Montequin1, Omer Faruk Gulban3,4, A Tyler Morgan1, Peter Bandettini1, Laurentius (Renzo) Huber1

NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, United States,

German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany,

CN, FPN, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands,

Brain Innovation, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Purpose: High-resolution fMRI at 7T is limited by limited registration quality between functional data with structural scans. We aim to provide a fast acquisition method that provides distortion-matched, artifact mitigated structural reference data.

Methods: We developed an efficient sequence approach with adjustable distortions, termed T1234: T1-weighted 2-inversion 3D-EPI with 4 directions for high-resolution fMRI. A forward Bloch model is implemented for T1 quantification and protocol optimization. 20 participants were scanned on 7T with structural and functional protocols to evaluate the utility of T1234.

Results: We find that a fast protocol provides reliable data for whole-brain segmentations in EPI-space  in 3:00-3:40 min). It is robust across sessions, participants, and three 7T SIEMENS scanners. T1234 allows layer fMRI signal analysis with higher laminar precision.

Conclusion: This structural mapping approach allows precise registration with fMRI data. T1234 is implemented, validated, and tested to serve users of our sequence (locally and >50 centers worldwide).