Feasibility of 3T layer-dependent fMRI with GE-BOLD using NORDIC and phase regression

IntroductionFunctional MRI with spatial resolution in the submillimeter domain enables measurements of activation across cortical layers in humans. This is valuable as different types of cortical computations, e.g., feedforward versus feedback related activity, take place in different cortical layers. Layer-dependent fMRI (L-fMRI) studies have almost exclusively employed 7T scanners to overcome the reduced signal stability associated with small voxels. However, such systems are relatively rare and only a subset of those are clinically approved. In the present study, we examined the feasibility of L-fMRI at 3T using NORDIC denoising. Methods5 healthy subjects were scanned on a Siemens MAGNETOM Prisma 3T scanner. To assess across-session reliability, each subject was scanned in 3-8 sessions on 3-4 consecutive days. A 3D gradient echo EPI (GE-EPI) sequence was used for BOLD acquisitions (voxel size 0.82 mm isotopic, TR = 2.2 s) using a block designed finger tapping paradigm. NORDIC denoising was applied to the magnitude and phase time series to overcome limitations in tSNR and the denoised phase time series were subsequently used to correct for large vein contamination through phase regression. Results and conclusionNORDIC denoising resulted in temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR) values comparable to or higher than commonly observed at 7T. Layer-dependent activation profiles could thus be extracted robustly, within and across sessions, from regions of interest located in the hand knob of the primary motor cortex (M1). Phase regression led to substantially reduced superficial bias in obtained layer profiles, although residual macrovascular contribution remained. We believe the present results support the feasibility of L-fMRI at 3T, which might help make L-fMRI available to a much wider community.