Comparing the effect of multi gradient echo and multi band fMRI during a semantic task

The Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signal, as measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), is known to vary in sensitivity across the brain due to magnetic susceptibility artefacts. In particular, the ventral anterior temporal lobes (vATL) have been implicated with semantic cognition using convergent methods (i.e., neuropsychology, PET, MEG, brain stimulation) but less so with fMRI using conventional gradient-echo protocols. There are methods to alleviate signal loss but multi-echo fMRI has gained popularity. Here, additional volumes are collected that span across a range of T2* values, however, this results sub-optimum parameters (i.e., repetition times, resolution, acceleration). "Multi-band" imaging has been used with multi-echo to speed up data acquisition; however, it is unclear how these modifications contribute to fMRI sensitivity across the brain and for univariate/multivariate analyses. In the current study, we used a factorial design where we manipulated the echo and/or band to assess how well the semantic network can be detected. When comparing the precision with which activations were detected (i.e, average T-statistics), we found that multi-band protocols were beneficial, with no evidence of signal leakage artefacts. When comparing the magnitude of activations, multi-echo protocols increased activations in regions prone to susceptibility artefacts (specifically the anterior temporal lobes, ATLs). Both multi-banding and independent component analysis (ICA)-denoising of multi-echo data tended to improve multi-voxel decoding of conditions. However, multi-echo protocols reduced activation magnitude in more central regions, such as the medial temporal lobes, possibly due to higher in-plane acceleration required to collect multiple-echoes. Nonetheless, the multi-echo multi-band protocol is a promising default option for fMRI on most regions, particularly those that suffer from susceptibility artefacts, as well as offering the potential to apply advanced post-processing methods to take advantage of the increased temporal (or spatial) resolution of multi-band protocols and more principled ICA-denoising based on TE-dependence of BOLD signals.