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Reducing task-based fMRI scanning time using simultaneous multislice echo planar imaging

  • Functional Neuroradiology
  • Published:
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A Correction to this article was published on 03 March 2018

This article has been updated

Abstract

Purpose

To maintain alertness and to remain motionless during scanning represent a substantial challenge for patients/subjects involved in both clinical and research functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) examinations. Therefore, availability and application of new data acquisition protocols allowing the shortening of scan time without compromising the data quality and statistical power are of major importance.

Methods

Higher order category-selective visual cortical areas were identified individually, and rapid event-related fMRI design was used to compare three different sampling rates (TR = 2000, 1000, and 410 ms, using state-of-the-art simultaneous multislice imaging) and four different scanning lengths to match the statistical power of the traditional scanning methods to high sampling-rate design.

Results

The results revealed that ~ 4 min of the scan time with 1 Hz (TR = 1000 ms) sampling rate and ~ 2 min scanning at ~ 2.5 Hz (TR = 410 ms) sampling rate provide similar localization sensitivity and selectivity to that obtained with 11-min session at conventional, 0.5 Hz (TR = 2000 ms) sampling rate.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that task-based fMRI examination of clinical population prone to distress such as presurgical mapping experiments might substantially benefit from the reduced (20–40%) scanning time that can be achieved by the application of simultaneous multislice sequences.

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  • 03 March 2018

    The original version of this article contained a mistake. The correct Affiliation 2 is Semmelweis University, János Szentágothai PhD School, MR Research Centre, Balassa Street 6, Budapest 1083, Hungary.

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Acknowledgements

We thank you Ádám Kettinger and Regina Meszlényi for help, advice, and ideas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brain Imaging Centre, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar tudósok körútja 2, Budapest, 1117, Hungary

    Máté Kiss, Petra Hermann, Zoltán Vidnyánszky & Viktor Gál

  2. János Szentágothai PhD School, MR Research Centre, Balassa Street 6, Budapest, 1083, Hungary

    Máté Kiss

  3. Department of Neuroradiology, National Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Amerikai Street 57, Budapest, 1145, Hungary

    Máté Kiss

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  1. Máté Kiss
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Correspondence to Máté Kiss.

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Funding

MK, PH, ZV, and VG were funded by a grant from the Hungarian Brain Research Program (KTIA_13_NAP-A-I/18).

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

A correction to this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-018-2001-9.

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Kiss, M., Hermann, P., Vidnyánszky, Z. et al. Reducing task-based fMRI scanning time using simultaneous multislice echo planar imaging. Neuroradiology 60, 293–302 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-017-1962-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00234-017-1962-4

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