Insertable inductively coupled volumetric coils for MR microscopy in a human 7T MR system

Area of Science:

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience

Background:

• High-resolution imaging of biological specimens is crucial for understanding complex structures.
• Conventional MRI systems may have limitations in achieving the necessary resolution and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for microscopic details.
• Developing advanced coil technologies is essential for pushing the boundaries of MRI capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the capability of novel insertable inductively coupled volumetric coils for MR microscopy.
• To evaluate the performance of these coils within a human 7T MRI system.
• To assess the feasibility of visualizing fine brain structures using this technology.

Main Methods:

• Designed and fabricated insertable inductively coupled volume coils (26 mm and 64 mm diameters).
• Integrated coils into a transmit/receive knee coil without wired connections.
• Evaluated signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and calculated g-factor maps for parallel imaging (PI).
• Acquired 3D T2-weighted images of brain specimens at isotropic resolutions of 50 μm and 160 μm.

Main Results:

• Insertable coils (D26 and D64) significantly increased SNR compared to the knee coil alone (12.54x and 2.37x, respectively).
• The D64 coil demonstrated modest parallel imaging (PI) capability with low g-factors ( < 1.1 for factor 2 in L-R/A-P directions).
• High-resolution T2-weighted images revealed detailed structural information of the brain specimens.

Conclusions:

• Insertable inductively coupled coils offer high SNR and parallel imaging capabilities for MR microscopy.
• This technology enables the visualization of fine specimen structures within a human 7T MRI system.
• The ease of handling and integration makes these coils a valuable tool for advanced MR microscopy.