Integrated Next-generation RF Transmit, Receive and B0 shimming coil system for brain and spinal cord MRI at 7 Tesla

项目摘要/摘要 该方案是为了开发一个预垫补的并行发射阵列、一个优化的接收阵列和一个RF/ΔB0 阵列以校正严重的B1不均匀性，最大化信噪比(SNR)，并校正B0 人脑和脊髓同时磁共振成像的不均一性7特斯拉(T)。同时泛函 脑和脊髓的成像可以为相互作用和处理路径提供有价值的洞察 这些器官在脊髓损伤、慢性疼痛和运动病的正常和异常状态之间。它是 作为一种研究中枢神经系统的新工具出现，并为新的研究提供必要的 基于任务和静息状态的感觉/运动处理贯穿大脑和脊髓，并脱落新的 了解小脑和脊髓内静息状态网络的性质。7T MRI提供新的 有机会以高空间分辨率和增强的显着性可视化感兴趣的结构，并 以更高的灵敏度检测大脑功能和网络。然而，在高场下，B1和B0不均匀， 缺乏针对某些特定应用的优化接收线圈是限制成像的主要挑战 性能。现有的设计要么是针对大脑的，要么是针对脊髓的，没有一个是这样的 解决了上述所有挑战。此外，这些设计的性能受到小尺寸的限制。 扫描仪供应商提供的传输通道数，以及缺乏针对实际成像的优化 申请。这个项目的第一个目标是建立一个预垫片的发射阵列，它可以压缩48基本 线圈为8个“虚拟”线圈，射频脉冲重量联合优化，以最大限度地提高传输性能 标准8传输通道7特斯拉扫描仪。这个项目的第二个目标是建造一个贴合的巨型- 具有最佳线圈几何形状/布局/大小的元件接收阵列，以提供高信噪比和出色的并行成像 在整个大脑和脊髓中都有表现。该项目的第三个目标是构建优化的路由 超薄RF/ΔB0阵列，以更少的硬件复杂性纠正B0不均质性。最佳化 最终预垫片的算法、电磁仿真模型和电气/机械设计 发射阵列、高密度接收阵列和布线优化的ΔB0阵列将分布式开放访问。 这些传输、接收和ΔB0阵列不依赖于供应商的平台，可以轻松传输 到其他7T站点，使整个社区受益。

Project Summary/Abstract This proposal is to develop a pre-shimmed parallel transmit array, an optimized receive array, and an RF/ΔB0 array to correct the severe B1 inhomogeneity, maximize the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and correct B0 inhomogeneity in simultaneous human brain and spinal cord MR imaging 7 Tesla (T). Simultaneous functional imaging of the brain and spinal cord can provide valuable insight into interactions and processing pathways between these organs in normal and abnormal states of spinal cord injury, chronic pain, and motor disease. It is emerging as a new tool to study the central nervous system and is necessary to enable new investigations of task-based and resting-state sensory/motor processing throughout the cerebrum and spinal cord and shed new light on the nature of resting-state networks within the cerebellum and spinal cord. 7T MRI offers new opportunities to visualize structures of interest with high spatial resolution and enhanced conspicuity and to detect brain function and networks with greater sensitivity. However, at high fields, B1 and B0 inhomogeneities, and the lack of optimized receive coils for some specific applications are major challenges that limit imaging performance. Existed designs are aimed at either brain-only or spinal-cord-only applications, and none have solved all the challenges mentioned above. Moreover, the performance of these designs is limited by the small number of transmit channels available from scanner vendors, and a lack of optimization for actual imaging applications. The first goal of this project is to build a pre-shimmed transmit array which compresses 48 basic coils into 8-“virtual” coils with RF pulse jointly optimized weights, to maximize the transmit performance of standard 8-transmit-channel 7 Tesla scanners. The second goal of this project is to build a close-fitting massive- element receive array with optimum coil geometry/layout/size, to provide high SNR and excellent parallel imaging performance in both the whole brain and the spinal cord. The third goal of this project is to build routing-optimized low-profile RF/ΔB0 array to correct B0 inhomogeneity with less hardware complications. The optimization algorithms, electromagnetic simulation models, and electric/mechanical designs of the final pre-shimmed transmit array, high dense receive array and the routing-optimized ΔB0 arrays, will be distributed for open access. These transmit, receive, and ΔB0 arrays do not depend on the vendors’ platform and can be easily transferred to other 7T sites, with benefits for the entire community.