Stimulus Presentation and Image Acquisition Valentina Petre
Jan 02, 2016
Stimulus Presentation and Image Acquisition
Valentina Petre
How do we Design an Experiment
Event related
Block design
Block design
* Very good statistical power* Good for “all or none” phenomena (example visual, or acoustic stim)* Good for an initial experimental probe – pilot study (exceptions)* The optimal block length 14 to 20 s * Do not depend much on the assumption of a certain hemodynamic function* Subject might anticipate the stimulus
Event related
* Multiple trials presentation in one run * Optimum time 16s * Close trials 4s –still can be separated * You must assume linearity * Depend on the model of the hemodynamic function * Reduced in sensitivity – vary the inter trial interval
Stim on
Slice i
Frame aq
Event Related stimulus presentation desynchronized from scanner acquisition
Protocols available 128 x 128 64 x 64 Mosaic
Resolution
Signal to Noise
Time betw. Acq.
Max # of slices for 128 frames
Time to acquire one slice
Delay time
Excitation order
high
2.3 x 2.3 mm
low
long (~10 min)
16 slices with 3.5s TR
120-130ms
140-150ms
low
5 x 5 mm
high
short
27 slices with 3 s
TR
100ms
140ms
ProtocolProp
Interleaved
Ascending
Small voxel volume, low signal Large voxel, high signal
Air tissue interface
Air
Tissue
The field inhomogeneity is large, thus it will cause large phase dispersion across the voxel. The signal is reduced.
How to avoid intravoxel dephasing
• Reduce the slice thickness. The longest dimension of your voxel should not be parallel with the direction of field variation
• Orient the slices oblique
• For spin echo sequences, the effect is smaller
Bo
Equipment available• 1.5 T Vision Siemens scanner
head coil surface coil
• Head holder device ear protection nose piece bite bar
• Mirror and mirror stand
• Mouse & joy stick
• Trigger box
• Projector cables RGB VGA screen
• Physiological monitoring
Accessories
MR compatible mouse
Outside the scanner room Inside the scanner room
Penetration panel
Screens
Types of stimulation used at the MNI
• Visual
• Acoustic
• Pain
• Somatosensory
• EEG
Programs used for stimulus presentation
• GLstim available on the SGI (R. Hoge )• Media Control Function on PC (Windows) Pierre
Ahad• SuperLab http://www.superlab.com• Make your own.
Parameters for the protocol to be used
Artifacts
Patient wearing a metal studded belt Braces
http://www1.stpaulshosp.bc.ca/stpaulsstuff/MRartifacts.html
RF Artifacts
Safety issues
• Implants• Pacemaker• Metallic part left after surgery, or metallic
fragments in their eyes• Belts• Tools (screw drivers, scissors, pens…)• Credit cards, bus pass.• Certain type of makeup, tattoos• Avoid loops
Safety issues
Safety issues contd..