Sebastian Domsch1, Julia Linke2,
Michaela Ruttorf1, Michele Wessa2, Lothar Rudi Schad1
1Department of Computer Assisted
Clinical Medicine, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany; 2Department
of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health,
Mannheim, Germany
We
present an event-related whole-brain fMRI study at 3T testing an EPI with
slice dependent TE (modified EPI) against an EPI with TE of 27ms (standard
EPI). Twelve subjects performed a learning task, which predominantly involved
limbic and frontal brain regions. The number of supra-threshold voxels found
in putamen, thalamus, parahippocampal gyrus, hippocampus and superior frontal
cortex is more than twice as great in the modified EPI as compared to the
standard EPI. More activation is found in the middle frontal gyrus and the
olfactory cortex using the standard EPI. Maximal Z-scores are slightly higher
in most regions when using the modified EPI.