Human 7T MRI: First Clinical and Neuroscientific Applications

After many years of development and niche applications in a very limited number of laboratories, human 7T magnetic resonance imaging systems are becoming available to a number of clinical and neuroscientific researchers. The spectrum of available methods and their robustness is increasing and the first studies are underway to evaluate the potential applications and benefits for larger clinical studies or even clinical diagnosis. A number of technical and methodological challenges currently limit the application mainly to examinations of the brain. Some of the current possibilities of ultra-high field systems and examples of first applications in patient and research studies are demonstrated to give the reader an overview.