scholarly journals A 32-Channel Head Coil Array with Circularly Symmetric Geometry for Accelerated Human Brain Imaging

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e0149446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Hua Chu ◽  
Yi-Cheng Hsu ◽  
Boris Keil ◽  
Wen-Jui Kuo ◽  
Fa-Hsuan Lin
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Imaging ◽  
Coil Array ◽  
Symmetric Geometry ◽  
Head Coil

scholarly journals A 48-Channel Receive Array Coil for Mesoscopic Diffusion-Weighted MRI of Human ex vivo Brain Imaging on the 3T Connectome Scanner

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alina Scholz ◽  
Robin Etzel ◽  
Markus W May ◽  
Mirsad Mahmutovic ◽  
Qiyuan Tian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Imaging ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Whole Brain ◽  
Diffusion Weighted ◽  
Noise Amplification ◽  
Head Coil ◽  
Array Coil

AbstractIn vivo diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging is limited in signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) and acquisition time, which constrains spatial resolution to the macroscale regime. Ex vivo imaging, which allows for arbitrarily long scan times, is critical for exploring human brain structure in the mesoscale regime without loss of SNR. Standard head array coils designed for patients are sub-optimal for imaging ex vivo whole brain specimens. The goal of this work was to design and construct a 48-channel ex vivo whole brain array coil for high-resolution and high b-value diffusion-weighted imaging on a 3T Connectome scanner. The coil was validated with bench measurements and characterized by imaging metrics on an agar brain phantom and an ex vivo human brain sample. The two-segment coil former was constructed for a close fit to a whole human brain, with small receive elements distributed over the entire brain. Imaging tests including SNR and G-factor maps were compared to a 64-channel head coil designed for in vivo use. There was a 2.9-fold increase in SNR in the peripheral cortex and a 1.3-fold gain in the center when compared to the 64-ch head coil. The 48-channel ex vivo whole brain coil also decreases noise amplification in highly parallel imaging, allowing acceleration factors of approximately one unit higher for a given noise amplification level. The acquired diffusion-weighted images in a whole ex vivo brain specimen demonstrate the applicability of the developed coil for high-resolution and high b-value diffusion-weighted ex vivo brain MRI studies.

scholarly journals The brain timewise: how timing shapes and supports brain function

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1668) ◽  
pp. 20140170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riitta Hari ◽  
Lauri Parkkonen
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Brain Imaging ◽  
Brain Function ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Generative Models ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Specific Information ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
The Brain

We discuss the importance of timing in brain function: how temporal dynamics of the world has left its traces in the brain during evolution and how we can monitor the dynamics of the human brain with non-invasive measurements. Accurate timing is important for the interplay of neurons, neuronal circuitries, brain areas and human individuals. In the human brain, multiple temporal integration windows are hierarchically organized, with temporal scales ranging from microseconds to tens and hundreds of milliseconds for perceptual, motor and cognitive functions, and up to minutes, hours and even months for hormonal and mood changes. Accurate timing is impaired in several brain diseases. From the current repertoire of non-invasive brain imaging methods, only magnetoencephalography (MEG) and scalp electroencephalography (EEG) provide millisecond time-resolution; our focus in this paper is on MEG. Since the introduction of high-density whole-scalp MEG/EEG coverage in the 1990s, the instrumentation has not changed drastically; yet, novel data analyses are advancing the field rapidly by shifting the focus from the mere pinpointing of activity hotspots to seeking stimulus- or task-specific information and to characterizing functional networks. During the next decades, we can expect increased spatial resolution and accuracy of the time-resolved brain imaging and better understanding of brain function, especially its temporal constraints, with the development of novel instrumentation and finer-grained, physiologically inspired generative models of local and network activity. Merging both spatial and temporal information with increasing accuracy and carrying out recordings in naturalistic conditions, including social interaction, will bring much new information about human brain function.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document