Magnetom verio

For this retrospective study, a turbo spin-echo T2-weighted sequence without fat suppression (T2) was chosen, which is part of the routine MRN examination protocol at our institution. The sequence was acquired using either a circular 15-channel knee coil or an anterior body surface and posterior built-in spine coil in a clinical scanner running at 3 Tesla (Siemens MAGNETOM Verio, Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany) with following sequence parameters: repetition time (TR) of 4690 ms, echo time (TE) of 82 ms, FOV of 384 × 330 mm², flip angle (FA) of 134 °, turbo factor of 12, voxel size of 0.52 × 0.52 × 4.0 mm³, and 60 axial-oriented slices with an inter-slice gap of 0.4 mm. The acquisition time was 4 min 43 s. Anatomical coverage was one image stack for each volunteer and patient, with image stacks positioned at the distal thigh in all volunteers, and variably between the distal thigh up to the head of the femur in patients, respectively.

A 3 T scanner with a 32-channel head coil, located at the ATR Brain Activity Imaging Center, was used for scanning acquisition (Siemens MAGNETOM Verio, Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). Anatomical images were acquired using a T1-weighted MP-RAGE protocol (slice number, 240; matrix size, 256 * 256; FOV, 256 mm; voxel size, 1.0 * 1.0 * 1.0 mm (no slice gap); TR, 2300 ms; TE, 2.98 ms; flip angle, 9°). T2*-weighted images reflecting blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals were acquired in all experimental and resting state sessions using gradient-echo echo-planar imaging (EPI) (slice number, 60; matrix size, 100 * 100; FOV, 200 mm; voxel size, 2.0 * 2.0 * 2.0 mm (no slice gap); TR, 1000 ms; TE, 28 ms; flip angle, 65°). Multiband was used to allow for faster slice acquisition^{57 –59 (link)}. Each functional localizer task session took 590 s and consisted of 590 volumes. Each SHAM FCNef and FCNef session took 512 s and consisted of 512 volumes. Each resting state session took 600 s and consisted of 600 volumes. The first ten volumes taken in each session of all experimental and resting state sessions were discarded to ensure steady-state magnetization.

Magnetic resonance images were acquired using a Siemen’s Magnetom Verio (Siemens, Erlanger, Germany) 3.0T MRI scanner with a 32-channel head coil. For each scanning session, a T1-weighted MR image was acquired using a 3D Magnetization Prepared Rapid Acquisition Gradient Echo (MPRAGE; Siemens; Mugler and Brookeman, 1990 (link)) pulse sequence with the following imaging parameters: repetition time (TR)/MPRAGE repetition time = 7.4/2500 ms, echo time (TE) = 2.48 ms, inversion time (TI) = 900 ms, flip angle (FA) = 8 degrees, 192 sagittal slices with a distance factor of 50% and 1-mm thickness, FOV = 256 mm, acquisition matrix dimension = 256 × 256, and in-plane voxel resolution of 1.0 × 1.0 mm², with a total scan time of 5 min 49 s. Resting state functional MRI scans were also acquired using gradient echo (GE) echo planar imaging (EPI) with the following parameters: TR = 2.5 s, TE = 30 ms, 39 transverse slices with a 0.5-mm inter-slice interval and 3-mm thickness, FOV = 192 mm, matrix dimension is 64 × 64, FA = 80 degrees, 3 × 3 × 3 mm³ voxel resolution and 198 volumes. Participants were instructed to close their eyes during the scan but not to fall asleep. Other MRI scans were also acquired during the same imaging session, however the analysis of these datasets will be reported elsewhere.

Imaging data was acquired in a 3-Tesla MRI Scanner (Siemens MAGNETOM Verio, Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany) with a 12-channel head array (n = 5 in each group) and a 3-Tesla MRI Scanner (Siemens Magnetom Prisma) with a 64-channel head array (n = 27 in each group). In each case, pairs of participants matched for age and gender were tested in the same scanner. To minimize head movements, foam pads were used. During the experimental tasks, functional images with BOLD contrast were obtained using multislice T2∗-weighted gradient echo planar imaging (EPI) (time of repetition (TR) = 1750 ms, time of echo (TE) = 30 ms, flip angle (FA) = 80°, Field of View (FoV) = 200 × 200 mm², voxel size = 3.0 mm³, and matrix size: 64 × 64). Each experimental task was measured during a separate run. For the flanker task, 350 EPI volumes were measured, for the Go/No-go task 390 EPI volumes, and for each visual task 95 EPI volumes. Each EPI volume consisted of 31 3 mm thick axial slices, which were acquired sequentially with a 1 mm gap in an ascending order. Each volume covered the whole brain with the exception of the lowermost part of the cerebellum. After functional scanning, a high-resolution T1-weighted structural image using magnetization prepared rapid gradient-echo (MPRAGE) sequence (1 mm³ isotropic voxels, 176 slices, FoV = 250 × 250 mm, TR = 1900 ms, TE = 2.52 ms, and FA = 90°) was acquired.

A scan session consisted of 3 functional runs during which 460 functional volumes were acquired using a T₂^*-weighted gradient echoplanar imaging sequence (TR = 2140 ms, TE = 25 ms, 90° flip angle, FOV = 192 × 192 mm, 43 axial slices, descending order, voxel size 3 × 3 × 3 mm) on a 3 T Siemens Magnetom Verio (Siemens, Erlangen, Germany). The stack was tilted at an angle of 30° to the anterior-posterior commissure line to reduce signal dropout in orbitofrontal cortex and ventral temporal lobe (Deichmann et al. 2003 (link)). Additionally, a high-resolution T₁-weighted anatomical scan was acquired (MPRAGE, TR = 2300 ms, TE = 2.98 ms, 9° flip angle, FOV = 256 × 256 mm, 192 sagittal slices, voxel size =1 × 1 × 1 mm).

MRI scanning was performed at mid day and patients were fasted for at least 6 h before MRI examination. Imaging data were acquired using a 3T Siemens scanner (Siemens Magnetom Verio; Siemens Medical Systems, Erlangen, Germany) at Tongde Hospital. All patients were placed in a birdcage head coil, with foam padding fitted to reduce head motion. rs fMRI scans were obtained using a gradient echo T2*-weighted sequence with the following parameters: 33 axial slices, thickness/gap = 4.8/0 mm, in-plane resolution = 64 × 64, repetition time (TR) = 2000 ms, echo time (TE) = 30 ms, flip angle = 90° and field of view (FOV) = 200 × 200 mm². Each condition consisted of 200 functional volumes. During the functional runs, patients were instructed to remain awake with their eyes closed. Additionally, high-resolution T1-weighted whole brain magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo images were obtained using the following parameters: 128 sagittal slices, slice thickness/gap = 1/0 mm, in-plane resolution = 512 × 512, TR = 1900 ms, TE = 2.48 ms, inversion time (TI) = 900 ms, flip angle = 9° and FOV = 256 × 256 mm².