A cutting-edge radio-frequency coil for structural and functional MRI of the primate brain at ultra-high magnetic field

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

We request a cutting-edge radio-frequency (RF) coil custom-made for structural and functional MRI of the alert and anesthetized primate brain at a high magnetic field (7 Tesla), an MRI-compatible chair for alert primate functional MRI, and an MRI-compatible primate bed for use in the anesthetized state. The requested equipment will support seven excellent research laboratories that investigate the primate brain. The research projects span evaluation, optimization, and validation of non-invasive MRI-based methods for parcellating the brain; high-resolution structural MRI to study the neuronal mechanisms underlying hand control and plasticity of the motor cortex and deep nuclei; precise guidance of electrodes to the deep vestibular nuclei; high-fidelity MRI of the deep cerebellar nuclei for understanding the processing of vestibular signals; development, optimization, and validation of novel methods for anatomically-guided 3D reconstruction of PET data; and high-resolution MRI for precise modeling of the electric current distribution during transcranial electrical stimulation. McGill University and U de Montreal together form one of the largest communities of primate brain research laboratories in the world (approximately 60% of all such laboratories in Canada). The requested RF coil will be the first of its kind in Canada. All research programs currently use a standard RF coil designed for imaging the human head. However, the coil elements are far from the head of the non-human primate, because of its smaller size relative to the size of the human head. The need for the requested RF-coil has emerged because the neuroscience community has realized that to understand brain function, bridges are required between systems neuroscience and neuroimaging. The requested RF-coil will make it possible for our laboratories to continue leading primate brain research worldwide. In a field that is dominated by male PIs, our group includes 2 female PIs, one PI from an underrepresented minority, and five male PIs. The laboratories of the applicants host collectively 42 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, including 18 female trainees and 9 trainees of underrepresented minorities origin. Our trainees will acquire skills that are highly demanded in academia and the high-tech industry sector, including skills in animal training, cutting-edge MRI, and quantitative methods, including image and signal processing, statistics, artificial intelligence, and neuronavigation. The data obtained using the requested RF-coil will enrich the repertoire available to our trainees who specialize in acquiring data and simple analysis, as well as those who specialize in high-level medical image analysis, opening opportunities in academia and the high-tech biomedical imaging industry.