Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Center for Experimental Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.
MAGMA. 2023 Apr;36(2):159-173. doi: 10.1007/s10334-023-01080-4. Epub 2023 Apr 20.
The 9.4 T scanner in Maastricht is a whole-body magnet with head gradients and parallel RF transmit capability. At the time of the design, it was conceptualized to be one of the best fMRI scanners in the world, but it has also been used for anatomical and diffusion imaging. 9.4 T offers increases in sensitivity and contrast, but the technical ultra-high field (UHF) challenges, such as field inhomogeneities and constraints set by RF power deposition, are exacerbated compared to 7 T. This article reviews some of the 9.4 T work done in Maastricht. Functional imaging experiments included blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) and blood-volume weighted (VASO) fMRI using different readouts. BOLD benefits from shorter T* at 9.4 T while VASO from longer T. We show examples of both ex vivo and in vivo anatomical imaging. For many applications, pTx and optimized coils are essential to harness the full potential of 9.4 T. Our experience shows that, while considerable effort was required compared to our 7 T scanner, we could obtain high-quality anatomical and functional data, which illustrates the potential of MR acquisitions at even higher field strengths. The practical challenges of working with a relatively unique system are also discussed.
马斯特里赫特的 9.4T 扫描仪是一款全身磁共振仪,具有头部梯度和并行射频发射功能。在设计时,它被构想为世界上最好的 fMRI 扫描仪之一,但也可用于解剖学和扩散成像。9.4T 提供了更高的灵敏度和对比度,但与 7T 相比,技术上的超高磁场(UHF)挑战,如磁场不均匀和射频功率沉积的限制,更加严重。本文回顾了马斯特里赫特在 9.4T 方面所做的一些工作。功能成像实验包括使用不同读出方式的血氧水平依赖(BOLD)和血容量加权(VASO)fMRI。BOLD 受益于 9.4T 时更短的 T*,而 VASO 则受益于更长的 T。我们展示了离体和体内解剖成像的例子。对于许多应用,pTx 和优化的线圈对于充分利用 9.4T 的潜力至关重要。我们的经验表明,尽管与我们的 7T 扫描仪相比需要付出相当大的努力,但我们可以获得高质量的解剖和功能数据,这说明了在更高场强下进行磁共振采集的潜力。还讨论了使用相对独特系统的实际挑战。