TESLA MRI SCANNER: SCHIZOPHRENIA, ADHD, BRAIN TUMOR, RETT SYNDROME

该子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的共享仪器补助金提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是资助机构，不一定是研究者的机构。描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议在下午为3特斯拉MRI系统获得16通道宽带数字射频（RF）系统升级肯尼迪克里格研究所的柯比研究中心。这次升级包括用于大脑、头部和颈部、婴儿大脑和乳房的多元件接收器线圈。我们的3t扫描仪目前只有六个射频通道，不足以使用这些新的多元件接收器线圈。我们的机构目前没有16通道3t扫描仪。肯尼迪克里格研究所、约翰霍普金斯大学和马里兰大学的研究人员目前有15个美国国立卫生研究院资助的项目和1个美国国家科学基金会资助的项目，这些项目的几个目标将从这次升级提供的改进的技术能力中受益匪浅。这些研究人员目前在F.M. Kirby研究中心使用3t系统进行结构和功能MRI、定量生理MRI、磁共振光谱（MRS）和光谱成像（MRSI）以及扩散张量成像（DTI）。拟议的升级将为当前用户提供以下具体好处：1)与目前使用的6通道系统相比，16单元头部线圈将皮层的1H MR灵敏度提高至少27%，并将高速率SENSE的噪声放大惩罚降低77%。这些主要优势可用于：a)更好地检测fMRI信号的微小变化；B)提高空间分辨率；C)增加时间分辨率（在动态研究中每次产生更多的数据点）；D)减少扫描次数（缩短扫描时间）；E)减少空间扭曲。2) 16单元神经血管线圈可以进行头部和颈部的综合检查（即，在一次采集中对颈椎和大脑进行联合扫描），大大节省了时间。3) 8单元膝部线圈（“婴儿头部线圈”）使婴儿（0-2岁）皮质的1H MR敏感性提高约40%（与目前使用的成人头部线圈相比）。4) 7元件乳房线圈将允许乳房MR研究从1.5 T移动到3 T，信噪比大约翻倍。此外，与4元件线圈相比，7元件线圈将产生大约额外20%的信噪比增加，例如现在在1.5 t下使用的线圈。这些多元件线圈产生的灵敏度增加非常显着。例如，与磁场强度增加约4 T相比，16单元头线圈的皮质灵敏度增加27%，并且至少可以减少38%的获取时间，这对肯尼迪克里格研究所研究的特殊儿童群体（例如自闭症；多动症）至关重要。3t 16通道数字射频升级对于我们机构和我们的研究资源提供的国家设施的持续高质量的最先进研究至关重要。

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): We propose to acquire a 16-channel broadband digital radio-frequency (RF) system upgrade for the 3 Tesla MRI system at the P.M. Kirby Research Center at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. This upgrade includes multi-element receiver coils for brain, head and neck, infant brain, and breast. Our 3 T scanner currently has only six RF channels, which are not sufficient to use these new multi-element receiver coils. No 16-channel 3 T scanner is presently available at our institutions. Investigators at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Maryland presently have 15 NIH-funded projects and 1 NSF-funded project with several aims that will strongly benefit from the improved technical capabilities offered by this upgrade. These investigators presently use the 3 T system in the F.M. Kirby Research Center for structural and functional MRI, quantitative physiological MRI, MR spectroscopy (MRS) and spectroscopic imaging (MRSI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The proposed upgrade will provide the following specific benefits for current users: 1) Compared to the 6-channel system currently in use, the 16-element head coil increases 1H MR sensitivity at the cortex by at least 27%, and reduces the noise-amplification penalty for high-rate SENSE by 77%. These primary advantages can be used to: a) better detect small fMRI signal changes; b) increase spatial resolution; c) increase temporal resolution (yield more data points per time in dynamic studies); d) reduce scan times (shorten scans); e) reduce spatial distortions. 2) The 16-element neuro-vascular coil allows integrated head and neck exams (i.e., combined scanning of the cervical spine and brain in single acquisitions), providing significant time savings. 3) The 8-element knee coil ("infant head coil") increases 1H MR sensitivity in infant (0-2 years old) cortex by ca. 40% (compared to the adult head coil now used). 4) The 7-element breast coil will allow breast MR studies to move from 1.5 T to 3 T, approximately doubling SNR. Furthermore, the 7-element coil will yield roughly an additional 20% SNR increase compared with 4- element coils, such as that now used at 1.5 T. The increases in sensitivity yielded by these multi-element coils are highly significant. For instance, the 27% increase in cortical sensitivity from the 16-element head coil compares to an increase in field strength to about 4 T, and would permit at least a 38% reduction in acquisition time, crucial for the special populations of children (e.g., autism; ADHD) studied at Kennedy Krieger Institute. The 3 T 16-channel digital RF upgrade is essential for continued high-quality state-of-the-art research at our institutions and for the national facilities provided by our Research Resource.