Human fMRI at 9.4 T: Preliminary Results

Introduction: With increasing field, the MR signal-to-noise ratio is expected to grow linearly, while a BOLD increase of more than linear is expected [1]. In addition, a higher emphasis on signal from microvasculature is predicted, especially for SE-EPI [2,3], while GE EPI remains more specific to the macrovasculature. Here, a field strength of 9.4 T is used for the first time to measure BOLD activation during finger tapping of a human subject. To examine the signal contributions of tissue and veins, the functional maps were overlaid on T2*-weighted GRE images revealing venous vasculature at high detail. Co-registration of both image modalities demonstrates where the functional signal coincides with venous structures.