Mapping of Motor and Sensory Activity in the Human Spinal Cord with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

摘要

Spinal cord fMRI images in control human volunteers were obtained at 1.5 T. Using a T2 weighted EPI-BOLD GE pulse sequence during a motor task activation scheme. The images were centered at C7 with five axial slices, 8 mm thick with zero separation. All the images were analyzed off-line with GE's Functool software to construct a functional map. This study was compared with a previous one at 1.5 T using FLASH sequences. After a small group of volunteers we can conclude that the EPI sequences are highly sensitive to flow effects in the CSF and may not have the functional resolution to use them in functional mapping in the human spine at 1.5T.