[Neurofunctional MRI at high magnetic fields].

[Neurofunctional MRI at high magnetic fields]. Radiologe. 2013 May;53(5):415-21 Authors: Speck O, Turner R Abstract CLINICAL/METHODICAL ISSUE: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) examinations are limited in their sensitivity due to the low activation-induced signal change. Within short tolerable scan times the spatial resolution is thus limited. STANDARD RADIOLOGICAL METHODS: fMRI is a reliable tool in neuroscience as well as for clinical applications such as presurgical mapping of brain function. METHODICAL INNOVATIONS: The fMRI sensitivity improves greatly (more than linearly) with increasing magnetic field strengths. For many years this was the main driving force in the push towards higher field strengths, such as 7 T. PERFORMANCE: The sensitivity gain is greatest for high spatial resolution and fMRI with very high sub-millimeter resolution becomes feasible. Current results demonstrate that the localization of the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal is better than previously assumed. ACHIEVEMENTS: High-field fMRI not only allows quantitative improvements but also opens the way to new information content, such as columnar and layer-dependent functional structures of the cortex. This may pave the way for further information, e.g. the directionality of cortico-cortical connections; however, these possibilities also pose new challenges. New methods for processing such high resolution data are required which do not require ...
Source: Der Radiologe - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Radiologe Source Type: research