Yi Zhang1, 2, Oscar San Emeterio Nateras1, Qi Peng1, Timothy Duong1, 2
1Radiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States; 2Research Imaging Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
The human retina is supplied by two (retinal and choroidal) separate vasculatures and their integrity is vital for maintaining normal retinal structure and function. This study demonstrates a novel BOLD fMRI application in the human retina with laminar specificity, made possible by stable eye fixation and bSSFP acquisition. Inversion-recovery bSSFP with reversed partial-Fourier readout was used to suppress the vitreous and to achieve strong BOLD-sensitivity without distortion. bSSFP fMRI reveals differential BOLD responses to hyperoxia in retinal and choroidal vasculatures. This approach could provide useful physiological information of the retina in healthy and diseased states, and complement existing imaging techniques.