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Functional magnetic resonance imaging by spatially modulating steady-state signal in steady-state free precession

  • US 9,551,770 B1
  • Filed: 01/24/2014
  • Issued: 01/24/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:

  • (a) placing an object to be imaged in a substantially uniform non-zero magnetic field B0;

    (b) with the object positioned in the magnetic field B0, applying to the object a repeating sequence of (i) one or more RF pulses, (ii) one or more non-zero slice-selection field-gradient pulses, (iii) one or more phase-encoding field-gradient pulses, and (iv) one or more non-zero readout field-gradient pulses;

    (c) during at least a portion of each repetition cycle of the pulse sequence, applying to the object a non-zero modulating field gradient;

    (d) detecting and recording steady-state spin echo or gradient echo signals for multiple repetition cycles of the pulse sequence; and

    (e) extracting from the recorded steady-state echo signals a steady-state signal magnitude or a steady-state signal phase for each voxel of a complex-valued image of the object,wherein;

    (f) repetition time TR of the pulse sequence is less than the longitudinal relaxation time T1 of the object; and

    (g) the modulating field gradient imparts spatial modulation of the steady-state signal phase and magnitude across the complex-valued image of the object along the direction of the modulating field gradient.

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