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High-Field fMRI

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fMRI Techniques and Protocols

Part of the book series: Neuromethods ((NM,volume 41))

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Summary

Imaging of human brain function is possible only through a few techniques of which magnetic resonance is the safest and most widely used. The soft tissue contrast and high resolution functional maps of the human brain are making a profound contribution to our understanding of the brain function. Resolution and strength of activation signal in fMRI images depends on the static magnetic field. This fact must be fully exploited by availing the highest field fMRI scanners for neurofunctional studies. During the last decade of the last century, field strength of human imaging was raised to 8 T. As a result, today commercial 7-T MRI scanners are available for harnessing the strongest possible signal from the brain neuronal response to external stimulations. Such achievement has involved development of many ancillary technologies and overcoming of many inherent technological and scientific challenges. In this chapter, advantages and challenges of the use of high-field scanners for fMRI studies involving human subjects are discussed. Among challenges, susceptibility artifacts, relaxation rates, and RF coil designs are discussed in details.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Alayar Kangarlu

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  1. Alayar Kangarlu
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Correspondence to Alayar Kangarlu .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ospedale San Raffaele, Università Milano-Bicocca, Via Olgettina 60, Milano, 20132, Italy

    Massimo Filippi

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© 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Kangarlu, A. (2009). High-Field fMRI. In: Filippi, M. (eds) fMRI Techniques and Protocols. Neuromethods, vol 41. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-919-2_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-919-2_4

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-60327-918-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-60327-919-2

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