Center for Functional MRI In the Department of Radiology

Human Connectome Project (HCP) fMRI protocol

Introduction

The Human Connectome Project (HCP) is a 40 million dollar initiative under the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research1. The project aims to characterize the structural and functional connectivity of the human brain in order to further our understanding of human brain networks and ultimately advance human health. One of the key components of the HCP is the acquisition of whole brain functional MRI data at high resolution and high speed. To enable this component, scientists have developed an HCP protocol that is capable of acquiring whole brain volume at 2x2x2mm resolution within a TR of 720 msec. The higher resolution and shorter TR greatly enhances our ability to capture the spatial and temporal variations of brain activity and connectivity. Figure 1 shows the default mode network estimated from an example HCP data set showing superb anatomical accuracy and specificity.

HCP image

The CFMRI has recently implemented the HCP protocol on our GE 3T MR750 scanners, making UCSD one of the first GE sites in the nation to support the HCP protocol. 

Note that the HCP protocol requires the use of the Nova Medical 32 channel head coil.

1 http://www.neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/connectome/index.htm

For more details, please contact cfmri@ucsd.edu

Download Instructions:

Download manual :
http://fmri.ucsd.edu/download/HCPmanual.final04112014.pdf
Download Flyer
http://fmri.ucsd.edu/pdf/HCPFlyer_031014.pdf