7 Tesla compatible in-bore display for functional magnetic resonance imaging

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Neuroscience
• Physics

Background:

• Ultra-high field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers enhanced sensitivity.
• Integrating electronic devices like displays into MRI environments poses challenges due to electromagnetic interference.
• Functional MRI (fMRI) requires high-resolution imaging to detect subtle hemodynamic changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the performance of a modified liquid crystal display (LCD) within a 7 Tesla (T) MRI scanner.
• To quantify the impact of the LCD on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) during various MRI sequences.
• To evaluate the suitability of the LCD for fMRI applications at UHF.

Main Methods:

• A commercial LCD was modified for safe operation inside a 7 T MRI magnet.
• SNR measurements were conducted using echo planar imaging (EPI) and fast-spin echo (FSE) sequences with the LCD in different states (absent, present, activated).
• fMRI was performed on a volunteer using a visual stimulus to assess the LCD's performance in a functional context.

Main Results:

• The LCD caused a minor SNR reduction of 3.7% for EPI and 7.9% for FSE when activated, attributed to its 40 dB shielding.
• Activated regions in the visual cortex were clearly visualized during fMRI experiments.
• The monitor demonstrated excellent image resolution with minimal SNR degradation in EPI sequences.

Conclusions:

• The modified LCD is suitable for fMRI at ultra-high fields (7 T).
• The device provides high-resolution imaging with acceptable SNR reduction for functional neuroimaging.
• This technology facilitates advanced fMRI studies at UHF, enabling better visualization of neural activity.