A self-decoupled 32-channel receive array for human-brain MRI at 10.5 T

Area of Science:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• High-field MRI Technology
• Radiological Physics

Background:

• Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and parallel imaging (PI) are critical for MRI performance.
• Higher magnetic field strengths (B0) can enhance SNR but pose technical challenges.
• Optimizing receive array design is crucial for maximizing gains at ultra-high fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare SNR and PI performance at 10.5 Tesla (T) versus 7 T.
• To evaluate the efficacy of a novel 32-channel receive array at 10.5 T for human brain imaging.
• To assess parallel imaging acceleration capabilities and noise amplification (g-factor) at 10.5 T.

Main Methods:

• A novel, self-decoupled 32-channel receive array (10.5T-32Rx) was designed and constructed for 10.5 T brain imaging.
• The 10.5T-32Rx array was co-designed with a 16-channel transmitter array.
• Performance was experimentally compared to an industry-standard 32-channel receiver at 7 T (7T-32Rx) using phantom measurements.

Main Results:

• The 10.5T-32Rx achieved 1.46x central SNR and 2.08x peripheral SNR compared to the 7T-32Rx.
• Parallel imaging performance, measured by the inverse g-factor (1/g), was 51% higher at 10.5 T (min[1/g] = 0.56) versus 7 T (min[1/g] = 0.37) at R=4x4 acceleration.
• The 10.5 T system demonstrated PI performance comparable to a 64-channel array at 7 T.

Conclusions:

• The novel self-decoupled receive array effectively improved SNR and parallel imaging performance at 10.5 T.
• Substantial gains in both SNR and parallel imaging capabilities were experimentally validated at 10.5 T compared to 7 T.
• These findings support the advancement of ultra-high field MRI for enhanced neuroimaging applications.