Technology to Realize the Full Potential of UHF MRI

总体摘要 磁共振研究中心(CMRR)开创了许多关键的磁共振方法 在当代生物医学研究中，包括(但不限于)引入超高频仪器和 伴随着克服其挑战的技术，加速了磁共振成像方法，以及许多 利用光谱学和多核能力获得体内生化信息的方法。至 延续创新的传统，本中心倡议的长期目标是建立国家资源 为了使超高场(UHF，主要是7T及以上)、磁共振成像(MRI)技术能够 推进生物医学研究和发现。为了建设这个P41中心，几项技术研究和 提出的开发(TRD)项目将协同工作，以实现我们独特的 影像资源。TRD1涉及多模式成像平台的开发，允许同时 光学成像，一种侵入性技术，能够可视化单个神经元和突触的神经元活动 使用非侵入性MRI方法，提供高分辨率功能MRI和连接数据 整个大脑，但在一个更粗糙的时空分辨率。这一平台将提供前所未有的机遇 对潜在行为的大脑功能进行详细研究，并仅使用MRI为未来的人类研究提供信息。TRD2 专注于建立一个灵敏的分子成像平台，将新的系统解决方案和先进的 进行多核核磁共振波谱和成像研究的策略。这一系统将提供无与伦比的 对探针分子参数的敏感性通过分子动力学、空间分布来表征组织 功能代谢参数和先进的多核研究。TRD3制定重建战略 支持加速的高分辨率成像方法，同时采用各种方法来降低 生理运动和噪声的影响。这些重建方法通过克服 否则将是在可实现的时间和空间分辨率方面的限制因素。TRD4提供 解决1)射频(RF)线圈(即天线)设计和安全的关键工程解决方案 在超高频下灵敏的高分辨率成像，如果没有这种成像，TRD1和TRD2中设想的系统就不能 实现和2)通过最小化加热和伪影来对植入物周围进行成像的方法 这将限制很大一部分人获得超高频成像。如上所述，这些项目可以 应对超高频的根本挑战。只有解决了这些挑战，我们才能发展新的 真正推进基础和临床转化研究的方法。事实上，它正是这个发展的循环 而这一发现启发了人们花费时间和资源开发、建设和选址 10.5T系统在我们的中心。虽然10.5T扫描仪是拟议开发的中心，但其影响 这个生物医学研究中心的工作将延伸到7T及以下，以及MRI(认知科学， 神经科学、衰老、肌肉骨骼疾病、神经疾病、癌症等)。

OVERALL ABSTRACT The Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) has pioneered many of the MR methods that are critical in contemporary biomedical research including (but not limited to) the introduction of UHF instrumentation and accompanying techniques that overcome its challenges, accelerated MR imaging approaches, and many of the methods used to obtain biochemical information in vivo using spectroscopy and multinuclear capabilities. To continue the tradition of innovation, the long term goal of this Center proposal is to establish a national resource for enabling ultrahigh field (UHF, mostly 7T and above), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies to advance biomedical research and discovery. Towards building this P41 center, several technical research and development (TRD) projects are proposed that will work synergistically to realize the potential of our unique imaging resources. TRD1 involves the development of a multimodal imaging platform allowing simultaneous optical imaging, an invasive technology capable of visualizing neuronal activity at the single neuron and synapse level, with non-invasive MRI methods which provide high resolution functional MRI and connectivity data over the entire brain but at a coarser spatiotemporal resolution. This platform will provide unprecedented opportunities for detailed studies of brain function underlying behavior and inform future human studies using MRI alone. TRD2 focuses on establishing a sensitive molecular imaging platform combining novel systems solutions and advanced strategies to perform multinuclear MRI spectroscopy and imaging studies. This system will provide unparalleled sensitivity to probe molecular parameters to characterize tissue through molecular dynamics, spatial distributions of functional metabolic parameters and advanced multinuclear studies. TRD3 develops reconstruction strategies supporting highly accelerated high-resolution imaging approaches while incorporating methods to reduce the impact of physiologic motion and noise. These reconstruction methods advance the field by overcoming what otherwise would be limiting factors with respect to achievable temporal and spatial resolutions. TRD4 provides critical engineering solutions addressing both 1) radiofrequency (RF) coil (i.e. antennae) designs and safety for sensitive high resolution imaging at UHF without which the systems conceived of in TRD1 and TRD2 could not be realized and 2) methods to image around implants by minimizing heating and artifacts which if not addressed would limit the access of the UHF imaging to a large section of the population. As described, these projects can tackle the fundamental challenges of UHF. Only when these challenges are addressed can we develop the new approaches to truly advance basic and clinical translational research. In fact it is exactly this cycle of development and discovery that inspired, then justified, the spending of time and resources to develop, build and site the 10.5T system at our center. While the 10.5T scanner is at the center of the proposed developments, the impact of this Center on biomedical research will extend 7T and below as well as to fields beyond MRI (cognitive science, neuroscience, senescence, musculoskeletal disorders, neurological disorder, cancer among others).