A fast T(1) measurement sequence using inversion recovery Look-Locker echo-planar imaging at steady state (IR LL-EPI SS) is presented. Delay time for a full magnetization recovery is not required in the sequence, saving acquisition time significantly for high-resolution T(1) mapping. Imaging parameters of the IR LL-EPI SS sequence were optimized to minimize the bias from the excitation pulses i...

Diffusion imaging acquired with echo-planar imaging (EPI) is usually performed with parallel imaging to reduce geometric distortions, especially at high fields. This study reports the occurrence of pseudolesions in EPI with parallel imaging. The unfolding artifacts are attributed as arising from a mismatch between RF sensitivity profiles and distorted acquisition data in the presence of suscept...

The accuracy of measuring voxel intensity changes between stimulus and rest images in fMRI echo-planar imaging (EPI) data is severely degraded in the presence of head motion. In addition, EPI is sensitive to susceptibility-induced geometric distortions. Head motion causes image shifts and associated field map changes that induce different geometric distortion at different time points. Conventio...

A novel image encoding approach based on linear frequency-swept excitation has been recently proposed to overcome artifacts induced by various field perturbations in single-shot echo planar imaging. In this article, we develop a new super-resolved reconstruction method for it using the concepts of local k-space and partial Fourier transform. This method is superior to the originally developed c...

PURPOSE To improve the traditional Nyquist ghost correction approach in echo planar imaging (EPI) at high fields, via schemes based on the reversal of the EPI readout gradient polarity for every other volume throughout a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) acquisition train. MATERIALS AND METHODS An EPI sequence in which the readout gradient was inverted every other volume was implem...

In population groups where head pose cannot be assumed to be constant during a magnetic resonance spectroscopy examination or in difficult-to-shim regions of the brain, real-time volume of interest, frequency, and shim optimization may be necessary. We investigate the effect of pose change on the B0 homogeneity of a (2 cm)3 volume and observe typical first-order shim changes of 1 μT/m per 1° ro...

PURPOSE To implement a method using a tailored radiofrequency (TRF) pulse with a quadratic phase profile to recover susceptibility-induced signal losses in gradient-recalled echo-planar images (EPI). MATERIALS AND METHODS A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment for compensation of susceptibility artifacts, known as the TRF pulse EPI sequence (TRF-EPI), was used. TRF pulse co...

Functional connectivity analysis of resting state blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI is widely used for noninvasively studying brain functional networks. Recent findings have indicated, however, that even small (≤1 mm) amounts of head movement during scanning can disproportionately bias connectivity estimates, despite various preprocessing efforts. Further complications for inte...

Interleaved echo-planar imaging (EPI) is susceptible to significant ghosting artifacts, resulting primarily from system time delays that cause data matrix misregistration. Most EPI applications rely on "reference scans" to measure delays, and post-processing algorithms are used to correct these errors. Unfortunately, delay estimates made with most reference scan techniques are object dependent,...

An algorithm is described for reducing ghost artifacts in echo planar imaging (EPI) using phase corrections derived from images reconstructed using only even or odd k-space lines. The N/2 ghost, that arises principally from time-reversal of alternate k-space lines, was significantly reduced by this algorithm without the need for a calibration scan. In images obtained in eight subjects undergoin...