Development of the Human Dynamic Neurochemical Connectome Scanner

项目摘要 我们寻求支持，以开发和构建下一代7特斯拉磁共振（MR）兼容 具有显著改进的时空分辨率的正电子发射断层摄影（PET）脑扫描器 （HSTR-BrainPET）。PET和MRI是目前用于研究的两种最强大的成像模式。 人类的大脑最近，能够同时进行PET和MR全身数据采集的扫描仪， 人类受试者已经可以在市场上买到。但是，没有等效的专用头部器械 市场上，以满足研究人员和临床医生的需求，重点是大脑和 全身装置的性能对于该目的是相当有限的。更重要的是，尽管目前的PET PET技术通过一系列针对神经化学靶点的探针实现了高分子灵敏度， 缺乏在与功能过程可比的时间尺度上跟踪动态变化的能力。我们的主要 我们的目标是建立一个MR兼容的PET相机具有非常高的灵敏度，使真正的动态PET成像 大脑神经传递第一个MR兼容的大脑PET原型之一安装在马蒂诺 中心于2008年成立，当时人体PET/MR成像还处于起步阶段。与西门子的密切合作 为了解决剩余的技术挑战，PET/MR原理验证研究表明， 的优点和潜力，这种新的成像模式进行。十年后，一种新型的光子 探测器技术已经达到了一个成熟的水平，使我们能够建立下一代集成 系统具有显著提高的时空分辨率。我们建议解决硬件问题， 构建7-T MR兼容PET技术的软件挑战， PET的窗口缩小到几秒钟。此外，空间分辨率的大幅提高将 还允许对当前最先进技术无法分辨的皮质亚结构和核进行成像 装置.具体而言，我们建议：（1）构建HSTR-BrainPET插入物的硬件组件， 将其与7-T MR扫描仪集成，并对组合设备进行表征;（2）实现PET软件 数据采集、处理和图像重建适合于非传统的几何形状， （3）将集成扫描仪应用于神经化学事件和大脑的动态评估 在健康的人类受试者中激活。 !

Project Summary We seek support to develop and build the next generation 7-Tesla magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible positron emission tomography (PET) brain scanner with dramatically improved spatiotemporal resolution (HSTR-BrainPET). PET and MRI are two of the most powerful imaging modalities currently in use for studying the human brain. Recently, scanners capable of simultaneous PET and MR whole-body data acquisition in human subjects have become commercially available. However, there is no equivalent dedicated head device on the market to address the needs of the researchers and clinicians focusing on the brain and the performance of whole-body devices is rather limited for this purpose. More importantly, although current PET technology achieves high molecular sensitivity with a broad set of probes for neurochemical targets, PET still lacks the capability to track dynamic changes in a time scale comparable to functional processes. Our main goal is to build an MR-compatible PET camera with very high sensitivity to enable truly dynamic PET imaging of brain neurotransmission. One of the first MR-compatible brain PET prototypes was installed at the Martinos Center in 2008 when human PET/MR imaging was in its infancy. Following a close collaboration with Siemens to address the remaining technical challenges, proof-of-principle PET/MR studies demonstrating the advantages and potential of this novel imaging modality were performed. A decade later, a new type of photon detector technology has reached a level of maturity that would allow us to build the next generation integrated system with dramatically improved spatiotemporal resolution. We propose to address the hardware and software challenges in building 7-T MR-compatible PET technology purpose-built to extend the temporal window of PET down to just a few seconds. Additionally, the substantial improvement in spatial resolution will also allow for imaging of cortical substructures and nuclei that cannot be resolved with current state-of-the-art devices. Specifically, we propose to: (1) Build the hardware components of the HSTR-BrainPET insert, integrate it with the 7-T MR scanner and characterize the combined device; (2) Implement the software for PET data acquisition, processing and image reconstruction adapted to the non-conventional geometry we are proposing; (3) Apply the integrated scanner to dynamic assessment of neurochemical events and brain activation in healthy human subjects. !