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Anatomical and functional brain imaging using high‐resolution echo‐planar spectroscopic imaging at 1.5 Tesla
Author(s) -
Du Weiliang,
Karczmar Gregory S.,
Uftring Stephen J.,
Du Yiping P.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
nmr in biomedicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.278
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1099-1492
pISSN - 0952-3480
DOI - 10.1002/nbm.952
Subject(s) - voxel , echo planar imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance , functional magnetic resonance imaging , neuroimaging , functional imaging , chemistry , magnetic resonance imaging , high resolution , neuroscience , physics , psychology , computer science , medicine , artificial intelligence , geology , radiology , remote sensing
High‐resolution echo‐planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) of water resonance (i.e. without water suppression) is proposed for anatomic and functional imaging of the human brain at 1.5 T. Water spectra with a resolution of 2.6 Hz and a bandwidth of 333 Hz were obtained in small voxels (1.7 × 1.7 × 3 mm 3 ) across a single slice. Although water spectra appeared Lorentzian in most of the voxels in the brain, non‐Lorentzian broadening of the water resonance was observed in voxels containing blood vessels. In functional experiments with a motor task, robust activation in motor cortices was observed in high‐resolution T * 2maps generated from the EPSI data. Shift of the water resonance frequency occurred during neuronal activation in motor cortices. The activation areas appeared to be more localized after excluding the voxels in which the lineshape of the water resonance had elevated T * 2and became more non‐Lorentzian during the motor task. These preliminary results suggest that high‐resolution EPSI is a promising tool to study susceptibility‐related effects, such as BOLD contrast, for improved anatomical and functional imaging of the brain. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.