Motivation: Comparing with single-echo fMRI, multi-echo fMRI, acquiring signals at multiple echo times, greatly alleviate signal loss and improve reliability especially in clinically relevant cortical-subcortical regions. Goal(s): This study aims to systematically compare the reliability of functional connectivity and spatial stability of rTMS target localization determined by multi-echo and single-echo fMRI to test whether resting-state multi-echo fMRI provides a more reliable approach for personalized rTMS. Approach: Using a within-subject design, 34 healthy participants completed three sessions with both multi-echo and single-echo fMRI to evaluate short-term and long-term reliability of functional connectivity from four clinically relevant seeds, as well as target stability. Impact: This study aims to evaluate the potential of multi-echo fMRI as a more reliable method for guiding personalized rTMS. By offering more accurate and reproducible brain activity mapping, it may improve treatment outcomes of rTMS in the future.
Hong et al. (Tue,) studied this question.