Biomedical subjects

Yousef Mazaheri

Publications and source records attributed to Yousef Mazaheri.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

State-space estimation of the input stimulus function using the Kalman filter: a communication system model for fMRI experiments.

The blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal measured in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments in response to input stimuli is temporally delayed and distorted due to the blurring effect of the voxel hemodynamic impulse response function (IRF). Knowledge of the IRF, obtained during the same experiment, or as the result of a separate experiment, can be used to dynamically obtain an estimate of the input stimulus function. Reconstruction of the input stimulus function allows the fMRI experiment to be evaluated as a communication system. The input stimulus function may be considered as a "message" which is being transmitted over a noisy "channel", where the "channel" is characterized by the voxel IRF. Following reconstruction of the input stimulus function, the received message is compared with the transmitted message on a voxel-by-voxel basis to determine the transmission error rate. Reconstruction of the input stimulus function provides insight into actual brain activity during task activation with less temporal blurring, and may be considered as a first step toward estimation of the true neuronal input function.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Measurements of tissue T1 spin-lattice relaxation time and discrimination of large draining veins using transient EPI data sets in BOLD-weighted fMRI acquisitions.

The signal intensity during the dynamic approach to the equilibrium state of longitudinal magnetization is a function of sequence parameters, such as repetition time and flip angle, and depends on tissue characteristics, including longitudinal relaxation time of stationary tissue and the rate of blood inflow. A method is presented to extract information from data acquired during the transient state prior to T1 equilibrium using echo-planar acquisitions in T2*-weighted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments. A voxel in a single slice acquisition is assumed to contain either stationary tissue or large vessels with flowing blood. Models are presented to characterize longitudinal magnetization relaxation of heterogeneous stationary tissue and blood inflow. The data were fitted to theoretical models for longitudinal relaxation of stationary tissue and inflowing blood assuming no residual signal prior to each RF excitation. Parameters were estimated at 3 T for each model using least squares estimation. A goodness-of-fit criterion was applied to exclude voxels that have transient data that does not fit the selected (best fit) model. Voxels that best fit the inflow model, measured at various TR and flip angles, were assumed to contain large draining veins and were excluded from functional maps. Histogram analysis of T1 distributions for activated voxels in a visual paradigm demonstrated the distributions are centered at T1 values of gray matter with tails at both sides of the center due to partial voluming of gray matter with white matter and CSF respectively. The mean gray matter volume fraction in activated voxels was about 0.9. The results indicate that transient data sets can provide additional information that is useful for both localization and characterization of the functionally relevant BOLD response.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Multishot partial-k-space EPI for high-resolution fMRI demonstrated in a rat whisker barrel stimulation model at 3T.

A multishot partial-k-space EPI technique is presented and validated by fMRI at high spatial resolution. High-resolution phase maps corrected by phase-encoded reference scans have less off-resonance effects. Phantom studies demonstrate that this method can substantially improve partial-k-space EPI image formation. BOLD fMRI at submillimeter spatial resolution (156 x 156 x 2000 microm(3), 0.049 microl) was achieved in a rat whisker barrel stimulation model using this technique. The study included eight rats, five of which were administered an intravascular contrast agent (monocrystalline iron oxide nanocolloid (MION)) after the BOLD experiments. In two rats the highest BOLD responses were in the deep layers (IV-VI), and in six rats the highest responses were on the surface and in the deep cortical layers. Most of the pixels that exhibited high BOLD responses had high blood volume weightings. The benefits of this technique are expected to increase for high-resolution fMRI at higher magnetic fields, where T(2) (*) is shorter.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Combined time-resolved and high-spatial-resolution 3D MRA using an extended adaptive acquisition.

PURPOSE: To combine the benefits of time-resolved dynamic imaging and single elliptical centric acquisitions in a reasonable scan time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A time series of images with moderate spatial resolution was acquired using the 3D Time-Resolved Imaging of Contrast KineticS (3D TRICKS) technique with elliptical centric encoding during contrast arrival. Following venous opacification, a complete large centrically encoded k-space volume was acquired. The high-spatial-frequency portions of this volume were combined with a 3D TRICKS time frame to form a high-resolution image. An additional single image is formed by suppressing background and signal averaging all acquired data, including post-venous low-spatial-frequency data. For this image, 2D temporal correlation analysis is used to suppress low-spatial-frequency vein contributions. Arrival time and spatial correlations are used to suppress background. RESULTS: The 3D TRICKS time frame may be selected to ensure a combined high-resolution image that has optimal central k-space sampling for any vascular region. The single image formed by signal averaging all acquired data has increased contrast-to-noise (CNR) and signal-to-noise (SNR) ratios. CONCLUSION: The advantages of time-resolved and high-spatial-resolution imaging were combined using an extended dual-phase acquisition. Some SNR and CNR gain was achieved by signal averaging. This process is facilitated by background and vein suppression.

Animals↗