Whole-brain, cerebral blood volume weighted imaging optimized for the study of cortical networks on NexGen 7T scanner

Previous implementations of whole-brain CBV weighted VASO were limited by spatially low-frequency ghosting (“fuzzy ripples”) caused by eddy currents, which prevented the use of high-acceleration factors. Recent advances in the mitigation of these fuzzy ripples should enable the collection of whole brain, layer resolution CBV VASO with higher acceleration. Using this newly achievable, high acceleration coupled with the fast image readout achievable by the NexGen 7T, we were able to collect whole-brain layer-fMRI images with a TR of 5s. This data allowed cortical depth-dependent, brain networks to be resolved and investigated using functional connectivity analyses.

In Proceedings of the 2026 ISMRM-ISMRT Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Cape Town, South Africa