Jeffrey Anderson

Functional MRI connectivity is an exciting technique that has redefined functional network neuroanatomy. Yet few clinical applications have emerged using this technique. One of the key limitations in using this approach in individual patients has been the inherent noise in the images, which limits the precision with which functional mapping targets can be defined. In this study we sought to explore whether precise functional neuroanatomic landmarks could be identified and at what resolution. The clinical problem relates to placement of deep brain stimulator electrodes, for which symptomatic relief may require an accuracy within 2 mm, a single MRI voxel.

We used aggregate measurements from repeated imaging sessions to demonstrate that at about 3 hours of total imaging time a 1–2-mm target may be feasible to reproducibly identify. We had hoped that we might have been able to achieve similar results with shorter scan times but are hopeful that ongoing improvements in MRI technology might improve signal to eventually yield single-voxel accuracy within clinically realistic scan times of an hour or less where this may be a viable mapping technique for functional neurosurgery.

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