Controlling motion artefact levels in MR images by suspending data acquisition during periods of head motion

Head movements are a major source of MRI artefacts that hamper radiological assessment and computer-based morphological and functional measures of the human brain. Prospective motion correction techniques continuously update the MRI scanner based on head position information provided by an external tracking system. While prospective motion correction significantly improves data quality, strong motion artefacts may remain with large head motions or when motion takes place at sensitive times of the acquisition. Here we present a framework that allows the suspension of data acquisition when head motion is predicted to have a strong negative impact on data quality. The predictor, calculated in real-time during the acquisition, accounts for the amplitude of the signal acquired at the time of the motion, thereby offering a re-acquisition strategy more efficient than relying on head speed alone. The suspension of data acquisition is governed by the trade-off between image degradation due to motion and prolonging the scan time. This trade-off can be tuned by the user according to the desired level of image quality and the participant s tolerability. We test the framework using two motion experiments and two head coils. Significant improvements in data quality are obtained with stringent threshold values for the suspension of acquisition. Substantial reductions in motion artefact levels are also achieved with minimal prolongation of scan time. However, high levels of motion artefacts occasionally remain despite stringent thresholds with the 64-channel head coil, an effect that might be attributed to head movement in the sharp sensitivity profile of this coil.