Kovářová Anežka, Mikl Michal
CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
First Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2025 Jun 15;46(9):e70264. doi: 10.1002/hbm.70264.
The study evaluates the efficacy of RETROICOR (Retrospective Image Correction) in mitigating physiological artifacts within multi-echo (ME) fMRI data. Two RETROICOR implementations were compared: applying corrections to individual echoes (RTC_ind) versus composite multi-echo data (RTC_comp). Data from 50 healthy participants were collected using diverse acquisition parameters, including multiband acceleration factors and varying flip angles, on a Siemens Prisma 3T scanner. Key metrics such as temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR), signal fluctuation sensitivity (SFS), and variance of residuals demonstrated improved data quality in both RETROICOR models, particularly in moderately accelerated runs (multiband factors 4 and 6) with lower flip angles (45°). Differences between RTC_ind and RTC_comp were minimal, suggesting both methods are viable for practical applications. While the highest acceleration (multiband factor 8) degraded data quality, RETROICOR's compatibility with faster acquisition sequences was confirmed. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing acquisition parameters and noise correction techniques for reliable fMRI investigations.
本研究评估了回顾性图像校正（RETROICOR）在减轻多回波（ME）功能磁共振成像（fMRI）数据中的生理伪影方面的功效。比较了两种RETROICOR实现方式：对单个回波应用校正（RTC_ind）与对复合多回波数据应用校正（RTC_comp）。在西门子Prisma 3T扫描仪上，使用包括多频段加速因子和不同翻转角在内的多种采集参数，收集了50名健康参与者的数据。诸如时间信噪比（tSNR）、信号波动敏感性（SFS）和残差方差等关键指标表明，两种RETROICOR模型的数据质量均有所提高，特别是在具有较低翻转角（45°）的中等加速扫描（多频段因子4和6）中。RTC_ind和RTC_comp之间的差异很小，表明这两种方法在实际应用中都是可行的。虽然最高加速（多频段因子8）会降低数据质量，但证实了RETROICOR与更快采集序列的兼容性。这些发现强调了优化采集参数和噪声校正技术对于可靠的fMRI研究的重要性。
