Upgrade the 14T Ultrahigh Field Horizontal MR Scanner for Rodent and ex-vivo Imaging

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The goal of this proposal is to purchase a Bruker AV-Neo console to replace the out-of-date Siemens console of the 14T horizontal MR scanner (13cm bore), which has been dedicated to supporting the high-resolution anatomical and functional dynamic brain mapping of animals and ex-vivo human brain tissue imaging. The Martinos Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital has been at the forefront of developing advanced functional mapping methods, e.g., functional MRI, and implementing the cutting-edge MRI methods to bridge the basic and translational studies. To pursue the next-generation cutting-edge imaging methodology and prepare for the higher field MRI translational studies, there is an urgent need to improve our 14T MRI preclinical platform for high-resolution animal and ex vivo imaging. In particular, the proposed 14T MR console upgrade will boost the translational potentials of the novel methodology, e.g. the single- vessel fMRI and line-scanning fMRI, to bridge cellular and microvascular anatomy and functional dynamics from animal to human brains. Also, this proposal will support over 20 research projects funded by NIH, presenting critical translational efforts on the mechanistic studies of brain disorders including Alzheimer’s Diseases (AD), Parkinson’s Disease, cerebrovascular dementia, migraine, traumatic brain injury, and cardiac arrest (AC)-induced coma, as well as for the internal organ imaging of animal models with hepatitis and hepatic fibrogenesis. The highly synergistic and collaborative research projects outlined in our proposal can be summarized in three main themes: 1) Neurovascular dynamic signaling, 2) Cutting-edge neuroimaging methodology, 3) Multimodal mechanistic signatures of animal disease models. We have established the 14T- based multi-modal imaging platform to combine the high-resolution anatomical and functional MRI imaging with the emerging neuro-techniques, e.g. optogenetics, optical fiber-mediated biosensor recording of Calcium, Glutamate, etc, promoting novel mechanistic understanding of the complexity of brain function. The Bruker AV-Neo system will provide key technological innovations to improve the performance of the novel brain mapping methods, e.g. the single-vessel fMRI, line- scanning fMRI, RF slab-specific diffusion-weighted MRI, based on the state-of-the-art electronics and software design. Therefore, the proposed instrument upgrade would not only accelerate the progress of the listed projects but also facilitate the translation of cutting-edge MR methodologies as a truly multidisciplinary, regional resource for PHS funded investigators.