Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the potential for bias in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) aging studies resulting from age-related differences in magnetic field distributions that can impact echo time and functional contrast. Materials and Methods: Magnetic field maps were taken on 31 younger adults (age: 22 ± 2.9 years) and 46 older adults (age: 66 ± 4.5 years) on a 3T scanner. Using the spatial gradients of the magnetic field map for each participant, an echo planar imaging (EPI) trajectory was simulated. The effective echo time, time at which the k-space trajectory is the closest to the center of k-space, was calculated. This was used to examine both within-subject and across-age-group differences in the effective echo time maps. The blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) percent signal change resulting from those echo time shifts was also calculated to determine their impact on fMRI aging studies. Results: For a single subject, the effective echo time varied as much as ±5 msec across the brain. An unpaired t-test between the effective echo time across age groups resulted in significant differences in several regions of the brain (P < 0.01). The difference in echo time was only ∼1 msec, however, which is not expected to have an important impact on BOLD fMRI percent signal change (<4%). Conclusion: Susceptibility-induced magnetic field gradients induce local echo-time shifts in gradient echo fMRI images, which can cause variable BOLD sensitivity across the brain. However, the age-related differences in BOLD signal are expected to be small for an fMRI study at 3T. Level of Evidence: 1. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:207–214.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 207-214 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
Volume | 45 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2017 |
Keywords
- BOLD
- field inhomogeneity
- functional imaging
- gradient echo imaging
- k-space distortions
- magnetic susceptibility
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging