3T MRI Scanner Gradient and RF Upgrade

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案要求资金支持乔治城大学功能和分子成像中心对西门子Trio 3特斯拉MRI系统进行重大升级。这种新设备将在更安静的操作环境中实现更快速的结构成像和更敏感的功能成像，从而大大增强我们目前的研究项目。现有的系统，最初是由乔治敦大学医学中心资助的，作为一个核心设施，已经运行了两年，支持一些NIH资助的研究项目，研究大脑功能的改变与广泛的医疗条件有关，包括发育障碍、代谢障碍、痴呆和脑血管疾病。拟议的设备采购包括对成像系统各部分的广泛改进，并将大大提高该系统的能力，包括：(1)扫描仪噪声降低超过30dB，(2)射频线圈设计的改进使系统信噪比提高超过100%，(3)梯度性能的显著提高，允许更快速地获取扩散张量图像数据，(4)结构成像所需时间的显著减少，这是由于并行图像采集子系统的扩展。总之，这些改进将导致整体系统功能的实质性进步，使更快速的结构，功能和代谢研究成为可能。特别是，由于该系统支持了大量的儿科研究，因此减少成像时间和扫描仪噪声非常重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests funds to support the purchase of a major upgrade to the Siemens Trio 3 Tesla MRI system at the Georgetown University Center for Functional and Molecular Imaging. This new equipment will significantly enhance our current research projects by enabling more rapid structural imaging and more sensitive functional imaging in a much quieter operational environment. The existing system, which was initially funded by the Georgetown University Medical Center, has operated for two years as a core facility in support of a number of NIH funded research projects investigating alterations in brain function associated with a wide range of medical conditions, including developmental disorders, metabolic disorders, dementia, and cerebrovascular disease. The proposed equipment purchase incorporates a wide range of improvements to various parts of the imaging system and will provide a significant increase in this system's capabilities including: (1) an over 30dB decrease in scanner noise, (2) an over 100% increase in the system signal-to-noise ratio resulting from improvements in the radiofrequency coil design, (3) a significant increase in gradient performance, allowing more rapid acquisition of diffusion tensor image data and (4) a significant decrease in the time required for structural imaging, resulting from the expansion of the parallel image acquisition subsystem. Together these improvements will result in a substantial advance in overall system functionality, enabling more rapid structural, functional and metabolic studies. In particular, the reduction in imaging time and scanner noise is of great importance due to the large number of pediatric studies supported by the system.