What is the optimum fMRI procedure with auditory stimulation?

Introduction: Functional MRI in auditory experiments is a challenge because the scanning procedure produces considerable noise that can interfere with the auditory paradigm. The loud and unpleasant noise might mask the auditory presentation or interfere with stimuli designed to evoke positive emotions. Therefore, scanning protocols appear to be advantageous that allow interleaved auditory stimulation and image acquisition. The sparse temporal sampling (STS) technique utilizes a long repetition time (TR) in order to achieve a stimulus presentation in the absence of scanner noise. Although there are only a few volumes in the resulting data sets, studies have demonstrated remarkable results (1,2). A more recent development is the interleaved-silent steady-state (ISSS) technique, which provides a stimulus presentation during silence with a higher temporal efficiency (3).