Passband bSSFP is an excellent alternative to gradient-echo EPI for BOLD fMRI at high field but properties of the BOLD signal have not been reported at ultra-high field (14T). Here, we show that the BOLD amplitude is similar for short and intermediate TR (6 and 12 ms, respectively) which suggests that, in spite of the high field, BOLD contrast in passband bSSFP has limited T2* and off-band contributions, and dominant T2 contributions for TR ≤ 12 ms. A short TR can thus be used to increase temporal or spatial resolution, as well as coverage, with no penalty in intrinsic sensitivity.
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