Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Neural Implants

 描述（由申请人提供）：我的职业目标是开发和应用新的MRI技术，这将有助于我们了解和解决医疗保健中的重要问题。这个奖项将使我能够在沃恩教授、乌古尔比尔教授、维泰克教授和哈雷尔博士的指导下接受培训，然后成为一名独立的科学家。明尼苏达大学的磁共振研究中心是世界上最大的磁共振研究中心之一。我相信 我可以和这个研究所里有价值的科学家合作，发展一个强有力的研究计划 在这个奖项的支持下。我的背景是电气工程。我有专业知识 分析MRI中磁场与人体的电磁相互作用。作为这个项目的一部分，我想了解更多关于脑深部电刺激（DBS）的临床实践。我相信，这将是一个独特的研究方向，将区分我的研究从我目前的导师作为一个独立的研究人员在未来。如果我们能够开发出与这一目标相关的安全方法，这可能会创造许多新的研究方向，这些研究方向与患有各种神经系统疾病的患者进行成像并使用DBS技术进行治疗有关。我还想获得更多的热力学建模经验，以评估与活组织温度升高相关的安全问题。此外，我还计划获得动物实验方面的专业知识，以测试MR安全性。我们建议开发一种工作流程，利用并行RF发射器阵列扫描植入器械的动物。我们假设通过增加通道数量来增加新的自由度将实现更安全、无伪影的成像会话。使用RF线圈阵列的多通道激励将能够降低植入物周围的温度。我们希望我们将通过动物研究开发的工作流程将为在未来的临床环境中安全有效地对神经植入物患者进行成像铺平道路。该项目将对公共卫生产生全面影响。如果我们能够成功完成该项目的具体目标，我们将开发一个工作流程，可以为数百万目前无法扫描的患者进行安全扫描。如果我们能够使MRI安全地用于神经植入物的患者，我们将能够优化植入物放置程序。此外，我们将能够优化植入设备和刺激方法，以治疗神经系统疾病，如抑郁症，双相情感障碍和帕金森病。基于我强大的分析背景和我在MRI方面的培训以及导师的指导，我相信我可以进行这项资助申请中提出的研究。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): My career goal is to develop and apply new MRI technologies that will help us understand and address important issues in Healthcare. This award will allow me to train under the guidance of Prof. Vaughan, Prof. Ugurbil, Prof. Vitek and Dr. Harel and then as an independent scientist. Center for Magnetic Resonance Research at the University of Minnesota is one of the largest MRI research centers in the world. I believe that I can develop a strong research program in collaboration with valuable scientists in this institute with the support of this award. My background is in electrical engineering. I have expertise in the analysis of electromagnetic interactions of the fields in MRI with the human body. As part of this project, I would like to learn more about the clinical practice of deep brain stimulation (DBS). I believe that this will be a unique research direction that will distinguish my research from my current mentor as an independent researcher in the future. If we can develop safe methods related to this goal, this may create many new research directions related to imaging patients with various neurological diseases and treating them with DBS technology. I also would like acquire additional experience in thermodynamic modeling to assess the safety issues related to temperature increases in the living tissue. In addition I also plan to gain expertise in animal experiments for testing MR safety. We propose to develop a workflow that utilizes parallel RF transmitter arrays scan animals with implanted devices. We hypothesize that adding new degrees of freedom by increasing the number of channels will enable a safer, artifact-free imaging session. Multi-Channel excitation with RF coil arrays will enable temperature reduction around the implants. We hope that the workflow that we will develop with animal studies will pave the way for imaging patients with neural implants safely and efficiently in future clinical settings. This project will have an overall public health impact. If we can successfully complete the specific aims of this project, we will develop a workflow that may enable safe scanning of millions of patients who currently cannot be scanned. If we can enable MRI to safely use with the patients with neural implants we will be able to optimize the implant placement procedures. In addition we will be able to optimize the implant devices and the stimulation methods to treat neurological diseases like depression, bipolar disorder and Parkinson's disease. Based on my strong analytical background and my training in MRI and the guidance of my mentors, I believe that I can conduct the research that is proposed in this grant application.