Upgrade to Multiuser 3T Magnetic Resonance Imager

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案旨在为肯塔基大学升级高端3T西门子Trio磁共振成像仪提供资金。升级包括对梯度、射频发射器和接收器系统以及成像仪的数据采集和重建系统的改进，并将显著提高仪器的成像能力，使其达到最先进的水平，并为未来的升级提供平台。升级是必要的，为十一名杰出的NIH资助的研究人员提供持续的支持，他们使用该仪器作为神经科学研究的中心实验装置，研究发育和退行性疾病，如帕金森氏症和阿尔茨海默氏症。核磁共振技术和神经科学研究的快速发展需要这种升级，并将使英国研究人员能够推进对衰老，痴呆和其他神经系统疾病的研究。有了这一升级，英国神经科学研究人员将拥有最灵敏的成像技术来研究非侵入性神经系统疾病的原因和后果。特别是，这次升级的具体目标是提高图像采集的速度和信噪比，图像和光谱测量的准确性，并能够获取探索白质结构和功能所必需的新型扩散加权数据。设备升级将有利于许多重要的前沿研究项目，如开发用于早期检测阿尔茨海默氏症和帕金森病的敏感工具，了解与酒精中毒和自闭症有关的大脑区域，以及了解大脑结构与行为和功能之间的联系。此次升级支持了该小组的长期目标，即开发用于正常人和受神经退行性或先天性神经疾病影响的受试者的脑解剖和功能研究的方法和工具。这次设备升级的相关性在于，它将为全国公认的神经科学研究人员提供最先进的研究工具，以极大地扩展和加强他们对大脑和脊髓变化的研究，这些变化发生在阿尔茨海默氏症和帕金森症等疾病以及正常衰老和治疗性治疗中，包括这些疾病的生物标志物。扩大这一研究项目至关重要，因为从非侵入性成像发展而来的技术可以通过改进筛查和诊断，轻松快速地应用于促进公众健康。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal is for funding to upgrade a high-end 3T Siemens Trio MR imager at the University of Kentucky. The upgrade includes improvements to the gradients, the radiofrequency transmitter and receiver systems, and data acquisition and reconstruction systems of the imager and will significantly improve the imaging capabilities of the instrument, bringing it up to the state-of-the-art and providing a platform for future upgrades. The upgrade is essential to providing continued support for an outstanding group of eleven NIH funded researchers using this instrument as the central piece of experimental apparatus for their neuroscience research into developmental and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The rapid development of MR technology and neuroscience research necessitates this upgrade and will position UK researchers to advance research into aging, dementia and other neurological diseases. With this upgrade UK neuroscience researchers will have the most sensitive imaging techniques to investigate non-invasively the causes and consequences of neurological diseases. In particular, the specific aims of this upgrade are to improve both the speed and signal-to- noise of image acquisition, the accuracy of image and spectroscopic measurements and to enable the acquisition of novel diffusion weighted data necessary to explore white matter structure and function. The equipment upgrade will benefit many important cutting-edge research projects such as the development of sensitive tools for early detection of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, understanding the areas of the brain involved in alcoholism and autism and understanding the connection between brain structure and behavior and function. The upgrade supports the long term goal of this group, which is the development of methodologies and tools for the study of brain anatomy and function in normal individuals and in subjects affected with neurodegenerative or congenital neurological conditions. The relevance of this equipment upgrade is that it will provide a nationally recognized group of neuroscience investigators with state-of-the-art research tools to greatly expand and enhance their investigations into the changes in the brain and spinal cord which occur with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's as well as with normal aging and with therapeutic treatments including biomarkers for these conditions. Expanding this research program is crucial as the techniques developed from non-invasive imaging can easily and rapidly be applied to advancing public health through improved screening and diagnosis. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This Shared Instrumentation Grant will upgrade a multi-user, high field, MR imager to a state-of-the-art instrument for carrying out advanced neuroscience research at the University of Kentucky. The upgrade will add several new acquisition and analysis features to measure, through non-invasive imaging, the structure and function of the brain. These improvements are essential to continue research into the origin and causes of several neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's as well as normal human aging.