What is an example of an action that may cause a physiological image artifact?

Cardiac motion that has been ungated is indeed an example of an action that can lead to a physiological image artifact. When imaging the heart or any area affected by the cardiac cycle, it's essential to synchronize the acquisition of images with the heart's rhythm. Ungated acquisitions can lead to blurring or distortion in the images due to the natural movement of the heart as it contracts and relaxes. This cardiac motion introduces variability in the resulting images, making it challenging to accurately assess structures or conditions within the heart or adjacent tissues.

While patient movement during acquisition, use of incorrect RF pulse timing, and inadequate coil positioning can all contribute to different forms of artifacts or image quality degradation, they do not specifically refer to physiological artifacts caused by natural bodily functions. Therefore, ungated cardiac motion specifically represents a physiological phenomenon that directly impacts image quality by introducing non-stationary motion artifacts.