Improving BOLD sensitivity with real-time multi-echo echo-planar imaging - Towards a cleaner neurofeedback signal

Real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI) suffers from known issues related to T2*-weighted single-echo echo-planar imaging (EPI). These include image dropout in areas with increased local magnetic susceptibility susceptibility gradients; suboptimal whole-brain blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contrast due to average T2*-weighting; and confounders like subject motion and physiology. During fMRI neurofeedback a metric calculated from real-time brain activity is presented visually to the subject in the scanner. To prevent sham feedback, new methods should focus on improving BOLD signal quality in real-time. In this work, presented as a poster at the 11th annual meeting of the ISMRM Benelux chapter (17 January 2019), we present our work on real-time multi-echo fMRI and its usefulness in increasing the temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR) of rtfMRI.