3 T Whole Body Magnetic Resonance Scanner

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application seeks partial funding from NIH and NSF for purchasing a 3 Tesla, whole body magnetic resonance scanner for in vivo imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy (MRS) in humans and nonhuman primates. The scanner will be housed in the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, which is located in the Texas Medical Center, home of four major research institutions and five hospitals. This scanner will be equipped with body and head RF coils and high performance gradient system that is capable of producing maximum gradient amplitudes of 40 mT/m with a slew rate of 200 mT/m/s. In addition, it will incorporate five-second order room temperature shims for improved field homogeneity. This high performance system will allow us to implement advanced MR imaging techniques such as diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), functional MRI (fMRI), and spectroscopic imaging (MRSI). Processing software for DTI, fMRI, and MRSI (2D, 3D, multislice and with a variety of k-space scanning techniques) will be included with the scanner. A full research agreement with the manufacturer will be executed for access to all the source codes for the pulse sequences and reconstruction algorithm to modify the existing sequences and implement newer sequences on the scanner. These will be made available to all the users. In addition, the scanner will provide access to the raw data for testing advanced image processing techniques. This high field and high performance MR scanner will be used for investigating 1) various neurological disorders, 2) techniques for improving learning and development in normal school age children by fusing information from MRI and MEG, and 3) advanced automatic image processing. The neurological disorders that will be investigated include neurodevelopmental disorders in humans and nonhuman primates, psychiatric disorders, and demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Twenty-one projects by fourteen users who are Pl's on NIH and NSF funded grants with significant MR component have been identified. While the main thrust of the proposed projects is neuroimaging, we anticipate that future projects would include body imaging, particularly cardiovascular imaging. Strong institutional commitment and financial plans for operating the scanner, particularly the long-term maintenance, are described.