High Resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy of Epilepsy at 7T

对于15%-30%的难治性癫痫患者来说，神经外科手术可能是唯一的选择 药物治疗。由于出色的软组织对比度和高分辨率的脑部解剖可视化，磁力分辨率- 磁共振成像(Mri)在脑异常的术前定位和定性方面起着至关重要的作用。 适用于接受癫痫手术的患者。7特斯拉(7T)磁共振有潜力成为强大的非侵入性工具，1)在- 使致痫异常变得明显，从而提高检测效率和减少侵入性使用 电生理评估和2)提供更准确的病变边界的描绘，以帮助神经外科 规划并引导患者获得更好的结果。不幸的是，多个技术问题，包括 所选体积中的主磁场和外加射频场以及与频率相关的空间移位导致 在用于成像和光谱分析的伪影方面，限制了当前高场扫描仪的使用。我们的目标是设计 创新的RF脉冲和脉冲序列以克服这些限制，以便充分利用信噪比 以及由高场磁共振磁体提供的用于癫痫成像和光谱的新的对比机制。具体来说- Cally，我们的目标是1)开发用于7T脑部高分辨率结构磁共振成像的工具，2)开发用于高分辨率成像的工具 7T的内侧颞叶的空间分辨率质子光谱成像和3)结合这些工具来计算 提出一种全面的7T癫痫成像方案，我们将在癫痫患者的试点研究中对其进行评估 接受手术治疗的候选人。 我的职业目标是建立一个独立的研究项目，专注于高科技磁共振技术的开发。 现场神经成像和光谱学，以改进神经疾病的诊断、治疗和监测 促进了我们对健康大脑的理解。我的职业发展计划包括获得识别 临床需求和开发新的磁共振技术以满足这些需求。作为培训，我将扩大我的背景 在神经科学方面，重点研究神经疾病的病理生理学，特别是癫痫。另外，我会 获得成为一名成功的独立调查员所需的必要的科学管理技能。史丹福 大学提供一整套物质和智力资源，以及彻底的合作研究 获得此培训所需的环境。在这个奖项的独立阶段，我将有机会 继续开发创新的磁共振技术并对患者进行评估，同时建立自己的研究计划。 作为一名独立的调查者，我将努力对神经科患者的护理产生根本性的影响 通过在磁共振成像领域追求与临床相关的研究来治疗疾病和障碍。

Neurosurgery may be the only option for the 15%-30% of people suffering from epilepsy who are refractory to drug therapy. Due to excellent soft tissue contrast and high-resolution visualization of brain anatomy, magnetic res- onance imaging (MRI) plays a vital role in the preoperative localization and characterization of brain abnormalities for patients undergoing epilepsy surgery. 7 Tesla (7T) MR has the potential to be a powerful noninvasive tool to 1) in- crease conspicuity of epileptogenic abnormalities resulting in improved detection efficiency and reduced use of invasive electrophysiological evaluation and 2) provide more accurate delineation of lesion boundaries aiding in neurosurgical planning and leading to better patient outcomes. Unfortunately, multiple technical issues including inhomogeneity of the main magnetic and applied RF fields as well as frequency-dependent spatial shifts in the selected volume, result in artifacts for imaging and spectroscopy, limiting the utility of current high-field scanners. Our objective is to design innovative RF pulses and pulse sequences to overcome these limitations in order to fully utilize the signal-to-noise ratio and novel contrast mechanisms offered by high-field MR magnets for imaging and spectroscopy of epilepsy. Specifi- cally, we aim to 1) develop tools for high-resolution structural MR imaging of the brain at 7T, 2) develop tools for high spatial-resolution proton spectroscopic imaging of the medial temporal lobe at 7T and 3) combine these tools to com- pose a comprehensive 7T epilepsy imaging protocol which we will evaluate in a pilot study of epilepsy patients who are candidates for surgical intervention. My career goal is to establish an independent research program focused on MR technique development for high- field neuroimaging and spectroscopy to improve diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of neurological diseases as well as advance our understanding of the healthy brain. My career development plan includes gaining expertise in identifying clinical needs and developing new MR technologies to meet these needs. As training, I will expand my background in neuroscience, with a focus on pathophysiology of neurological diseases, particularly epilepsy. In addition, I will acquire the necessary scientific management skills required to become a successful independent investigator. Stanford University offers the complete set of physical and intellectual resources as well as a thoroughly collaborative research environment required to obtain this training. During the independent phase of this award, I will have the opportunity to continue development of innovative MR technology and evaluation in patients, while building my own research program. As an independent investigator, I will endeavor to make a fundamental impact on the care of patients with neurological diseases and disorders through the pursuit of clinically relevant research in the field of magnetic resonance imaging.