3T MRI SCANNER GRADIENT AND RF UPGRADE: NEUROSCIENCE, GENETICS

该子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的共享仪器赠款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是用于资助的，不一定是研究者的机构。描述（由申请人提供）：本提案要求提供资金，以支持购买乔治敦大学功能和分子成像中心的Siemens Trio 3 Tesla MRI系统的重大升级。这种新设备将大大提高我们目前的研究项目，使更快速的结构成像和更灵敏的功能成像在一个安静得多的操作环境。现有的系统最初由乔治敦大学医学中心资助，已经作为核心设施运行了两年，以支持一些NIH资助的研究项目，调查与各种医疗条件相关的脑功能改变，包括发育障碍，代谢障碍，痴呆症和脑血管疾病。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30 dB，（2）射频线圈设计改进导致系统信噪比增加超过100%，（3）梯度性能显著增加，允许更快速地采集扩散张量图像数据，以及（4）由于并行图像采集子系统的扩展，结构成像所需的时间显著减少。这些改进将使整个系统的功能大大提高，从而实现更快速的结构、功能和代谢研究。特别是，由于系统支持大量儿科研究，因此减少成像时间和扫描仪噪声非常重要。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Shared Instrumentation Grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the grant, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. 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.