Whole-Brain, Multi-Shot, Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in Humans at 7T with 1 mm Isotropic Resolution

Diffusion-weighted imaging using single-shot EPI at 7T is prone to a high level of susceptibility and blurring artefact, even when parallel imaging with a large acceleration factor is used. Multi-shot imaging using readout-segmented EPI has been shown to provide a substantial reduction in these artefacts, but previous applications of the method were restricted to localized studies of small brain regions. In this study, an extension of the technique is used, which provides whole brain coverage with high isotropic resolution and sufficient angular resolution to estimate fibre orientation density functions using spherical deconvolution