An fMRI study is conducted using a 2D EPI pulse sequence. A separate blood flow navigator pulse sequence is interleaved with the fMRI data acquisition to monitor blood flow in arteries that feed the brain tissue. Information in the blood flow navigator data is used to reduce errors in the fMRI data due to tissue motion caused by pulsatile blood flow. In one embodiment the blood flow navigator information is used to gate the fMRI acquisition and in another embodiment the information is used to retrospectively correct acquired fMRI data.
Magnetic resonance imaging using blood flow navigation