ReviewEcho planar imaging before and after fMRI: A personal history

Echo-planar imaging (EPI) plays a crucial role in functional MRI. Focusing especially on the period from 1988 to 1992, the authors offer personal recollections, on the development of practical means of deploying EPI, the people that participated, and its impact on MRI in general.

► The history leading up to the first fMRI experiments is described. ► The involvement of major scanner manufacturers is discussed. ► Several EPI pioneers are described. ► The general impact of EPI, beyond fMRI, is considered, and placed into a broader context.