title: Evaluation of SLIce Dithered Enhanced Resolution Simultaneous MultiSlice (SLIDER-SMS) for human fMRI.
abstract: High isotropic resolution fMRI is challenging primarily due to long repetition times (TR) and insufficient SNR, especially at lower field strengths. Recently, Simultaneous Multi-Slice (SMS) imaging with blipped-CAIPI has substantially reduced scan time and improved SNR efficiency of fMRI. Similarly, super-resolution techniques utilizing sub- voxel spatial shifts in the slice direction have increased both resolution and SNR efficiency. Here we demonstrate the synergistic combination of SLIce Dithered Enhanced Resolution (SLIDER) and SMS for high-resolution, high-SNR whole brain fMRI in comparison to standard resolution fMRI data as well as high-resolution data. With SLIDER-SMS, high spatial frequency information is recovered (unaliased) even in absence of super-resolution deblurring algorithms. Additionally we find that BOLD CNR (as measured by t-value in a visual checkerboard paradigm) is improved by as much as 100% relative to traditionally acquired high- resolution data. Using this gain in CNR, we are able to obtain unprecedented nominally isotropic resolutions at 3T (0.66 mm) and 7T (0.45 mm).
authors.affiliation: San Francisco VA Health Care System, Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Disease, San Francisco, CA, United States; University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States; Advanced MRI Technologies, Sebastopol, CA, United States. Electronic address: an.vu2@va.gov.
authors.forename: An T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Vu
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States; Advanced MRI Technologies, Sebastopol, CA, United States.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beckett
authors.affiliation: Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital Charlestown, MA, United States.
authors.forename: Kawin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Setsompop
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States; Advanced MRI Technologies, Sebastopol, CA, United States.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Feinberg
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*
keywords: 3T; 7T; High-resolution; SLIDER; Super resolution; fMRI