Reliable mapping of columnar structures in early visual cortex using GE-EPI at 7 T

Abstract

Despite GE-EPI being the method of choice in most fMRI applications, their use in high-resolution acquisitions is questioned due to their inherent sensitivity to large draining veins [1]. To examine the effective spatial resolution limits of GE-EPI, it is necessary to measure physiological structures in the human brain with known spatial extent such as ocular dominance columns (ODCs) in V1 or the stripe architecture (thin, thick, pale) in V2. We show that ODCs and thin stripes can be reliably detected using GE-EPI at 7 T