FAST 3D FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING AT 1.5 T WITH SPIRAL ACQUISITION

A new method to perform rapid 3D fMRI in human brain is introduced and evaluated in normal subjects, on a standard clinical scanner at 1.5 T esla, The method combines a highly stable gradient echo technique with a spiral scan method, to detect brain activation related changes in b lood oxygenation with high sensitivity. A motor activation paradigm wi th a duration of less than 5 min, performed on 10 subjects, consistent ly showed significant changes in signal intensity in the area of the m otor cortex. In all subjects, these changes survived high statistical thresholds.