AUTHOR=Pais-Roldán Patricia , Yun Seong Dae , Shah N. Jon 

TITLE=Pre-processing of Sub-millimeter GE-BOLD fMRI Data for Laminar Applications

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroimaging

VOLUME=1

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroimaging/articles/10.3389/fnimg.2022.869454

DOI=10.3389/fnimg.2022.869454

ISSN=2813-1193

ABSTRACT=<p>Over the past 30 years, brain function has primarily been evaluated non-invasively using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with gradient-echo (GE) sequences to measure blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals. Despite the multiple advantages of GE sequences, e.g., higher signal-to-noise ratio, faster acquisitions, etc., their relatively inferior spatial localization compromises the routine use of GE-BOLD in laminar applications. Here, in an attempt to rescue the benefits of GE sequences, we evaluated the effect of existing pre-processing methods on the spatial localization of signals obtained with EPIK, a GE sequence that affords voxel volumes of 0.25 mm<sup>3</sup> with near whole-brain coverage. The methods assessed here apply to both task and resting-state fMRI data assuming the availability of reconstructed magnitude and phase images.</p>