3T MRI Upgrade for Advanced Imaging Studies in Clinical and Basic Neuroscience

描述(由申请人提供)：本申请寻求为加州大学戴维斯成像研究中心(IRC)运营的西门子3T Trio全身MRI系统的总成像矩阵(TIM)升级提供资金。IRC是大学范围内的中心，为加州大学戴维斯分校的所有人类和一些非人类灵长类动物提供最先进的核磁共振研究项目。西门子3T Trio MRI系统使加州大学戴维斯分校的神经成像社区蓬勃发展。IRC现在有35名活跃的神经成像研究人员，平均分布在医学院、文学与科学学院和生物科学学院，并为6000多万美元的校外赠款提供成像支持。NIH资助的16个主要研究项目(例如P01、R01)由磁共振成像系统支持，并在本提案中进行了描述。TIM升级对于IRC继续为其用户提供最先进的成像能力是必要的。此次升级将使IRC拥有可用的最先进的MRI硬件和软件平台。该软件平台是西门子开发其MRI技术进步的平台，也是进行许多多点神经成像临床试验的平台。此次升级将提高所有结构和功能图像的质量。新的数据采集硬件预计将使结构成像的信噪比(SNR)提高25%，功能磁共振成像(FMRI)的时间稳定性提高20%-60%。升级软件中提供了新的高级序列，用于更快的具有T1、T2和质子密度对比度的高分辨率3D结构成像，以及产生较少几何失真的扩散张量成像(DTI)序列。最后，升级提供了更安静的扫描，高达90%的声压降低，这对健康的儿童和成人以及患者的功能磁共振研究至关重要。加州大学戴维斯分校神经科学中心、思维研究所、精神和大脑中心、阿尔茨海默病中心和相关部门的研究人员利用成像技术，使用功能磁共振成像、结构磁共振成像和DTI技术解决广泛的研究问题。影像研究包括基础神经科学和感知、认知和运动功能的翻译研究，还包括对阿尔茨海默病等重大疾病以及自闭症、脆性X、FXTAS突变前障碍和注意力缺陷障碍等发育障碍的调查。加州大学戴维斯分校的领先神经解剖学家也在与加州大学戴维斯分校的加州国家灵长类动物研究中心合作，使用高分辨率MRI和DTI来揭示发育中的和成年猕猴大脑的结构，目标是为加州大学戴维斯分校和国际上未来的研究建立高质量的图像数据库。所有这些研究项目都依赖于高空间分辨率的MRI来揭示大脑结构，以及快速的单次扫描MRI采集技术来揭示大脑功能。最后，加州大学戴维斯分校的研究人员正在领导和参与需要跨多个核磁共振平台和成像中心使用先进成像序列的多站点研究。 公共卫生相关性：加州大学戴维斯分校的研究人员是国际公认的研究领导者，旨在回答神经科学、神经学、精神病学和行为科学的广泛问题。在他们的研究中，磁共振成像(MRI)发挥了重要作用，使他们能够测量发育、神经和精神障碍患者以及正常人的大脑结构和功能的许多方面。这项拨款申请将支持加州大学戴维斯分校目前由这些研究人员使用的磁共振成像系统的重大升级，为他们提供更大的能力来评估大脑结构和功能，并加快在了解正常人类大脑以及治疗和预防大脑疾病方面取得的进展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application seeks funding for a Total imaging matrix (Tim) upgrade for the Siemens 3T Trio whole-body MRI system operated by the UC Davis Imaging Research Center (IRC). The IRC is university-wide center that provides state-of-the-art MRI for all human, and some non human primate, research projects at UC Davis. The Siemens 3T Trio MRI system has enabled the neuroimaging community at UC Davis to thrive. The IRC now has 35 active neuroimaging investigators, equally distributed across the School of Medicine and the Colleges of Letters and Science, and Biological Sciences, and it provides imaging support for over $60 million in extramural grants. Sixteen major NIH funded research projects (e.g. P01, R01) are supported by the MRI system and are described in this proposal. The Tim upgrade is necessary for the IRC to continue to provide state-of-the-art imaging capabilities to its users. This upgrade will result in the IRC having the most advanced MRI hardware and software platform available. The software platform is that on which Siemens develops its MRI technical advances, and is the platform on which many multi-site neuroimaging clinical trials are conducted. The upgrade will improve the quality of all structural and functional images. The new data acquisition hardware is expected to provide 25% improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for structural imaging, and 20-60% improvement in temporal stability for functional MRI (fMRI). New advanced sequences for faster high resolution 3D structural imaging with T1, T2, and proton density contrast, and sequences for diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) that produce less geometric distortion, are provided in the upgrade software. Finally, the upgrade provides much quieter scanning, up to 90% less sound pressure, critical to fMRI studies in healthy children and adults, and patients. Investigators in UC Davis' Center for Neuroscience, MIND Institute, Center for Mind and Brain, Alzheimer's Disease Center, and related departments, utilize imaging to address a wide range of research questions using fMRI, structural MRI and DTI. Imaging research includes basic neuroscience and translational studies of perception, cognition and motor function, and includes the investigation of major disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease, and developmental disorders such as autism, Fragile X, FXTAS pre-mutation disorder, and attention deficit disorder. Leading neuroanatomists at UC Davis are also using high resolution MRI and DTI to reveal the structure of the developing and adult macaque monkey brain in collaboration with the California National Primate Research Center located at UC Davis, with the goal of establishing high-quality image databases for future investigations at UC Davis and internationally. All these research programs depend on high spatial resolution MRI to reveal brain structure, and rapid single-shot MRI acquisition techniques to reveal brain function. Finally, UC Davis investigators are both leading and participating in multi-site research studies that require the use of advanced imaging sequences across multiple MRI platforms and imaging centers. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Researchers at the University of California Davis are internationally recognized leaders in research designed to answer a wide range of questions in neuroscience, neurology, psychiatry, and the behavioral sciences. In their research, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) plays a major role by allowing them to measure many aspects of brain structure and function, in patients with developmental, neurological and psychiatric disorders as well as normal individuals. This grant application will support a significant upgrade of the MRI system at UC Davis that is currently used by these researchers, providing them significantly greater capabilities to evaluate brain structure and function, and accelerate the progress made towards understanding the normal human brain and treating and preventing brain disorders.