Functional Fields in Human Auditory Cortex Revealed by Time-Resolved fMRI without Interference of EPI Noise

doi:10.1006/nimg.2000.0683

NeuroImage

Volume 13, Issue 2, February 2001, Pages 328-338

https://doi.org/10.1006/nimg.2000.0683 Get rights and content

Abstract

The gradient switching during fast echoplanar functional magnetic resonance imaging (EPI-fMRI) produces loud noises that may interact with the functional activation of the central auditory system induced by experimental acoustic stimuli. This interaction is unpredictable and is likely to confound the interpretation of functional maps of the auditory cortex. In the present study we used an experimental design which does not require the presentation of stimuli during EPI acquisitions and allows for mapping of the auditory cortex without the interference of scanner noise. The design relies on the physiological delays between the onset, or the end, of stimulation and the corresponding hemodynamic response. Owing to these delays and through a time-resolved acquisition protocol it is possible to analyze the decay of the stimulus-specific signal changes after the cessation of the stimulus itself and before the onset of the EPI-acoustic noise related activation (decay-sampling technique). This experimental design, which might permit a more detailed insight in the auditory cortex, has been applied to the study of the cortical responses to pulsed 1000 Hz sine tones. Distinct activation clusters were detected in the Heschl's gyri and the planum temporale, with an increased extension compared to a conventional block-design paradigm. Furthermore, the comparison of the hemodynamic response of the most anterior and the posterior clusters of activation highlighted differential response patterns to the sound stimulation and to the EPI-noise. These differences, attributable to reciprocal saturation effects unevenly distributed over the superior temporal cortex, provided evidence for functionally distinct auditory fields.

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In the present study, we collected data from 13 healthy volunteers performing a speech and a tonal discrimination task using both a CTA and STA scheme to carry out a systematic evaluation of these acquisition protocols. By statistical modeling of the fMRI data sets, we revealed stronger effect sizes for the STA protocol regardless of the task, reflecting the better signal-to-noise-ratio of MR images acquired with this scheme. In contrast, we demonstrate higher statistical power for the use of a CTA protocol. Accordingly, in the context of standard fMRI analysis, the CTA protocol clearly outperformed the STA scheme at the level of single-subject analysis and fixed-effects group analysis. Our results clearly suggest that it is advantageous to acquire several sample points per trial if one wants to use the benefit of “silent” fMRI. Furthermore, our data demonstrate the feasibility of the clustered acquisition of subsequent imaging volumes along the T1-decay.
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners can produce noise measuring over 130 dB SPL (see [1]). This noise stimulates the auditory nervous system, limiting the dynamic range for stimulus driven activity in functional MRI (fMRI) experiments and can influence other brain functions [2–13]. Even for structural scans it causes subject anxiety and discomfort in addition to the impediment to communications.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners can produce noise measuring over 130 dB SPL. This noise stimulates the auditory nervous system, limiting the dynamic range for stimulus driven activity in functional MRI (fMRI) experiments and can influence other brain functions. Even for structural scans it causes subject anxiety and discomfort in addition to the impediment to communications. Here we describe the realization and validation of a sound system for sound presentation inside an MRI scanner and the modifications to a standard active noise control technique for use in the noisy and compact environment of the scanner. This paper provides a review of the technology available for the presentation of audio stimuli in an MRI environment and the modifications required for the active control of scanner noise. Some of the content has been previously published [Chambers J, Akeroyd MA, Summerfield AQ, Palmer AR. Active control of the volume acquisition noise in functional magnetic resonance imaging: method and psychoacoustical evaluation. J Acoust Soc Am 2001;110(6):3041–54; Levitt H. Transformed up–down methods in psychoacoustics. J Acoust Soc Am 1971;49:467–77], but this paper goes further in describing the stages of development as the system performance was optimised. The performance of the system and both the objective and subjective reduction of the scanner noise are reported. Finally, we discuss recent improvements to the system that are currently being evaluated and describe the theory of opto-acoustical transducers that operate on the principle of light modulation. These are immune from, and do not create, electro-magnetic interference (EMI) and radio-frequency interference (RFI).
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Regular ArticleFunctional Fields in Human Auditory Cortex Revealed by Time-Resolved fMRI without Interference of EPI Noise

Abstract

Neuroimage

Neuron

Clin. Neurophysiol.

Hear. Res.

Electroencephalog. Clin. Neurophysiol.

Neuropsychologia

Curr. Opin. Neurobiol.

Neuroimage

Electroencephalogr. Clin. Neurophysiol.

Time course EPI of human brain function during task activation

Magn. Reson. Med.

Functional MRI of brain activation induced by scanner acoustic noise

Magn. Reson. Med.

Functional mapping of the human visual cortex by magnetic resonance imaging

Science

Tonotopic organization of the human auditory cortex as detected by BOLD-FMRI

Hear. Res.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Human Auditory Cortex

Ann. Neurol.

Linear systems analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging in human V1

J. Neurosci.

Auditory Scene Analysis

Effects of the acoustic noise of the gradient systems on fMRI: A study on auditory, motor, and visual cortices

Magn. Reson. Med.

Improved auditory cortex imaging using clustered volume acquisitions

Hum. Brain. Mapp.

Utilizing haemodynamic delay and dispersion to detect fMRI signal change without auditory interference: The behavior inter-leaved gradients technique

Magn. Reson. Med.

Localization and characterization of auditory perception through functional magnetic resonance imaging

Technol. Health Care

Tonotopic mapping in absence of scanner acoustic noise [Abstract]

Neuroimage

Statistical parametric maps in functional imaging: A general linear approach

Hum. Brain Map.

Cytoarchitectonic organization of the human auditory cortex

J. Comp. Neurol.

Statistical methods in functional magnetic resonance imaging with respect to nonstationary time series: Auditory cortex activity

Magn. Reson. Med.

The constructive nature of vision: Direct evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging studies of apparent motion and motion imagery

Eur. J. Neurosci.

“Sparse” temporal sampling in Auditory fMRI

Hum. Brain Map.

Regular Article
Functional Fields in Human Auditory Cortex Revealed by Time-Resolved fMRI without Interference of EPI Noise