Advancing MRI & MRS Technologies for Studying Human Brain Function and Energetics

推进核磁共振成像

• 批准号: 8827010
• 负责人: Wei Chen
• 金额: $ 46.87万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-26 至 2017-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8827010
• 关键词: Address; Adenosine Triphosphate; Biological Neural Networks; Brain; Brain imaging; Brain region; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Cerebrum; Characteristics; Clinical; Complement; Cortical Column; Detection; Development; Diffusion weighted imaging; Dimensions; Engineering; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Functional disorder; Generations; Geometry; Grant; Heating; Human; Human body; Image; Imaging Device; Imaging Techniques; Imaging technology; Institution; Interdisciplinary Study; Intramural Research; Lead; Magnetic Resonance; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Maps; Medicine; Metabolic; Minnesota; Monitor; Monoclonal Antibody R24; Neurosciences; Neurosciences Research; Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide; Noise; Nuclear; Organ; Outcome; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxygen; Oxygen Consumption; Paris, France; Performance; Photic Stimulation; Physics; Physiology; Pilot Projects; Process; Reproducibility; Research; Research Project Grants; Resolution; Rest; Risk; Safety; Science; Signal Transduction; Solutions; Structure; System; Techniques; Technology; Testing; Tissues; Translational Research; United States National Institutes of Health; Universities; Visual Cortex; Work; absorption; base; brain metabolism; brain research; clinical Diagnosis; cost effective; disease diagnosis; improved; in vivo; innovation; innovative technologies; instrument; interest; magnetic field; nervous system disorder; neural circuit; neurochemistry; neuroimaging; next generation; novel; prototype; public health relevance; radiofrequency; relating to nervous system; response; transmission process

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (MRI) and in vivo MR spectroscopy (MRS) techniques have become indispensable tools for imaging brain structure, function, connectivity, neurochemistry and neuroenergetics, and for investigating neurological disorders. However, it remains a challenge to achieve superior MRI/MRS detection sensitivity, spatial and temporal imaging resolutions adequate for addressing fundamental and challenging neuroscience questions even with the most advanced technology. The prevailing paradigms for improving MRI/MRS performance largely invoke increasing the magnetic field strength, which may have reached practically achievable limits for human studies due to many technological and safety (i.e., high specific absorption rate (SAR)) concerns, and increasing the receiver channel count which is also ultimately limited due to noise characteristics of coils of decreasing size. To alleviate these major limitations, this R24 proposal relies on the interdisciplinary research efforts and expertise of leading experts across two institutions to pioneer an entirely innovative engineering solution that uses the ultra-high dielectric constant (uHDC) material incorporated with ultrahigh-field MRI/MRS techniques for synergistically increase signal-to-noise ratio and concurrently reduce RF power demand, and for achieving unprecedented improvements in spatial/temporal resolution over the current state-of-the-art MR technologies. We will develop and optimize prototypes of uHDC material for human brain studies using 7 Tesla (T) and 10.5T whole-body human scanners. Moreover, we will exploit and assess the new utility and capability of the innovative uHDC-MR technology for cutting-edge neuroscience research. One pilot study is the functional mapping of neural circuits and resting-state connectivity at the level of columns and cortical layers in the human visual cortex with ultrahigh spatial resolution 1H MRI at 7T, complemented with anatomical connectivity derived from diffusion weighted images for tractography. The other one is to combine the uHDC technique with newly developed in vivo 31P and 17O MRS techniques for noninvasively and reliably imaging the cerebral metabolic rates of oxygen consumption and ATP, cerebral blood flow, oxygen extraction fraction and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) redox state in the human brain at resting and activated states. The proposed research will shift the current paradigm of neuroimaging development towards an efficient, cost-effective engineering solution that will attain multiplicative gains from uHDC and ultrahigh fields, and lead to next generation o MRI/MRS technology and instrument. Such advancement will accelerate human brain imaging and neuroscience research beyond what can be achieved through existing technology, promote new research directions, and transform our understanding regarding the human brain function and dysfunction.

 描述（由申请人提供）：磁共振（MR）成像（MRI）和体内磁共振波谱（MRS）技术已成为大脑结构、功能、连通性、神经化学和神经能量学成像以及研究神经系统疾病不可或缺的工具。即使采用最先进的技术，实现卓越的 MRI/MRS 检测灵敏度、足以解决基本和具有挑战性的神经科学问题的空间和时间成像分辨率仍然是一个挑战。 MRI/MRS 性能在很大程度上涉及增加磁场强度，由于许多技术和安全（即高比吸收率 (SAR)）问题，这可能已达到人类研究实际上可实现的极限，并增加接收器通道数，这也是由于尺寸减小的线圈的噪声特性最终受到限制，为了缓解这些主要限制，该 R24 提案依赖于两个机构的领先专家的跨学科研究工作和专业知识，开创了一种使用超高介电常数的完全创新的工程解决方案。 (uHDC) 材料与超高场 MRI/MRS 技术相结合，可协同提高信噪比，同时降低射频功率需求，并在空间/时间分辨率方面实现比当前最先进的 MR 前所未有的改进我们将使用 7 Tesla (T) 和 10.5T 全身人体扫描仪开发和优化用于人脑研究的 uHDC 材料原型。此外，我们将开发和评估该技术的新实用性和功能。用于尖端神经科学研究的创新 uHDC-MR 技术是一项试点研究，利用 7T 的超高空间分辨率 1H MRI 来绘制人类视觉皮层的神经回路和静息态连接的功能图谱。另一种是将 uHDC 技术与新开发的体内 31P 和 17O MRS 技术相结合，对大脑进行无创且可靠的成像。人脑在静息和激活状态下的耗氧量和 ATP 代谢率、脑血流量、氧提取分数和烟酰胺腺嘌呤二核苷酸 (NAD) 氧化还原状态。拟议的研究将把当前的神经影像学发展模式转向高效、成本低的方向。 -有效的工程解决方案，将从 uHDC 和超高场中获得倍增收益，并导致下一代 MRI/MRS 技术和仪器。这种进步将加速人类大脑成像和神经科学研究，超越现有技术所能实现的水平，促进。新的研究方向，并改变我们对人类大脑功能和功能障碍的理解。