Work

Functional Imaging of Hippocampal Layers Using VASO and BOLD on the Next Generation ( NexGen ) 7T Scanner

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Spatial accuracy and venous biases are a central concern in mesoscale fMRI, with subcortical brain regions facing additional challenges due to lower sensitivity, high physiological noise, and complicated vasculature. Here, we optimized CBV VASO on the NexGen 7T scanner for layer-specific investigations of the human hippocampus. Both VASO and BOLD (from the same acquisition) detected significant hippocampal activation during an established autobiographical memory task. At the macroscale, activation patterns converged, showing pronounced memory task activation in the anterior hippocampus and consistent engagement across the frontoparietal neocortex. At the laminar scale, however, differences in depth-dependent profiles emerged within the subiculum: BOLD exhibited a pronounced bias toward the inner layers, consistent with the known venous drainage pattern in the subfield. Finally, the optimized effective TR of 3.2 s allowed exploratory study of retrieval stages and neocortical functional connectivity, which both supported hippocampal anterior-posterior dissociation using either VASO or BOLD. Thus, hippocampal fMRI allows mapping layer function with high accuracy and can provide deeper insights into a number of neuropsychological phenomena and disorders.

Source: Human Brain Mapping

DOI: 10.1002/hbm.70660

Authors: Suvi Häkkinen, Alexander Beckett, Erica Walker, Laurentius Huber, David A. Feinberg

Institutions: Neurosciences Institute, Advanced MRI Technologies (United States), Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging

Language: English

Topic: Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications

Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,520