| Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a technique useful for mapping patterns of neuronal activation in healthy and abnormal human brain. However, fMRI is limited in application by sensitivity to millimetre-scale head motion. Motion through the imaging plane creates "artifact", or unwanted signal change, that mimics neuronal activation and cannot be removed in post-processing. Prospective correction is a motion-correction strategy that employs an imaging plane that adapts in response to motion to prevent artifact, and may be successful where other motion-correction techniques have failed.This thesis details a simulation of through-plane motion artifact that agrees with experimental observations. A practical implementation of 1D prospective correction is also presented, with effective correction of artifact within a phantom undergoing simple and complex through-plane motion. These results suggest that prospective correction may ultimately improve the quality of fMRI for high-motion subjects. |
