A 20-channel receive-only mouse array coil for a 3 T clinical MRI system

Imaging of Stroke in Rodents Using a Clinical Scanner and Inductively Coupled Specially Designed Receiver Coils

Imaging of small laboratory animals in clinical MRI scanners is feasible but challenging. Compared with dedicated preclinical systems, clinical scanners have relatively low B0 field (1.5-3.0 T) and gradient strength (40-60 mT/m). This work explored the use of wireless inductively coupled coils (ICCs) combined with appropriate pulse sequence parameters to overcome these two drawbacks, with a special emphasis on the optimization of the coil passive detuning circuit for this application. A Bengal rose photothrombotic stroke model was used to induce cortical infarction in rats and mice. Animals were imaged in a 3T scanner using T2 and T1-weighted sequences. In all animals, the ICCs allowed acquisition of high-quality images of the infarcted brain at acute and chronic stages. Images obtained with the ICCs showed a substantial increase in SNR compared to clinical coils (by factors of 6 in the rat brain and 16-17 in the mouse brain), and the absence of wires made the animal preparation workflow straightforward.

A surface loop array for in vivo small animal MRI/fMRI on 7T human scanners

Small animals such as non-human primate (NHP) and rodent are valuable models in frontier neuroscience researches, and comparative research between the animal model and human is helpful to understand and reveal the functional brain circuits in cognition and underlying mechanism in psychological disease. Small animals can be trained or anesthetized to endure long-term and multiple imaging scans; however, the concomitant needs in subcortical structure and function investigations pose major challenges in, e.g. spatial resolution, scan time efficiency, spatial/temporal signal-to-noise-ratio, as well as apparatus mechanical fixation. In addition, comparative investigations across species are also expected to be conducted under similar physical environment (such as the main magnetic field strength, RF pulse shape, sequence protocols, gradient waveform, system stability, etc in MRI), in order to avoid possible deviation in signal detection under different platforms, as well as to reduce experiment complexity. We have proposed a novel 5-channel surface coil that is equipped on 7T human MRI scanners and designed for small animal structural and functional MRI. Through a series of in vivo experiments over an anesthetized rat and macaque, the presented coil shows its main characteristics in, i.e. flexible coil mounting, reduced FOV, high temporal SNR, and parallel imaging capability. Such design is able to compensate the relatively lower gradient slew rate of human scanners versus those with smaller bores, and thus effectively facilitates in vivo microscopic structural MR images being obtained within a shortened and safe period of anesthesia; besides, it also enables high-resolution functional MRI (i.e. spin-echo based) being achieved with reasonable temporal resolution, distortion level and functional contrast.

Investigating the Influence of Spatial Constraints on Ultimate Receive Coil Performance for Monkey Brain MRI at 7 T

The RF receive coil array has become increasingly vital in current MR imaging practice due to its extended spatial coverage, maintained high SNR, and improved capability of accelerating data acquisition. The performance of a coil array is intrinsically determined by the current patterns generated in coil elements as well as by the induced electromagnetic fields inside the object. Investigations of the ultimate performance constrained by a specific coil space, which defines all possible current patterns flowing within, offer the opportunity to evaluate coil-space parameters (i.e., coverage, coil-to-object distance, layer thickness, and coil element type) without the necessity of considering the realistic coil element geometry, coil elements layout, and number of receive channels in modeling. In this paper, to mimic 7-T monkey RF head coil design, seven hypothetical ultimate coil arrays with different coil-space configurations were mounted over a numerical macaque head model; by using Huygens's surface approximation method, the influences of coil-space design parameters were systematically investigated through evaluating the spatial constrained ultimate intrinsic SNR and ultimate g-factor. Moreover, simulations were also conducted by using four coil arrays with limited number of loop-only elements, in order to explore to what extent the ultimate coil performance can be achieved by using practical coil designs, and hence several guidelines in RF coil design for monkey brain imaging at 7 T have been tentatively concluded. It is believed that the present analysis will offer important implications in novel receive array design for monkey brain MR imaging at ultra-high field.

Low-Noise Active Decoupling Circuit and its Application to 13C Cryogenic RF Coils at 3 T

We analyze the loss contributions in a small, 50-mm-diameter receive-only coil for carbon-13 (¹³C) magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T for 3 different circuits, which, including active decoupling, are compared in terms of their Q-factors and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The results show that a circuit using unsegmented tuning and split matching capacitors can provide >20% SNR enhancement at room temperature compared with that using more traditional designs. The performance of the proposed circuit was also measured when cryogenically cooled to 105 K, and an additional 1.6-fold SNR enhancement was achieved on a phantom. The enhanced circuit performance is based on the low capacitance needed to match to 50 Ω when coil losses are low, which significantly reduces the proportion of the current flowing through the matching network and therefore minimizes this loss contribution. This effect makes this circuit particularly suitable for receive-only cryogenic coils and/or small coils for low-gamma nuclei.

Design and implementation of embedded 8-channel receive-only arrays for whole-brain MRI and fMRI of conscious awake marmosets

PURPOSE

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is a New World primate of increasing interest to neuroscience and in translational brain research. The present work describes the design and implementation of individualized 8-channel receive-only radiofrequency (RF) coil arrays that provide whole-brain coverage and allow anatomical and functional MRI experiments in conscious, awake marmosets.

METHODS

The coil arrays were designed with their elements embedded inside individualized restraint helmets. The size, geometry, and arrangement of the coil elements were optimized to allow whole-brain coverage. Coil-to-coil decoupling was achieved by a combination of geometric decoupling and low input impedance preamplifiers. The performance of the embedded arrays was compared against that of one 8-channel receive-only array built to fit the external surface of the helmets.

RESULTS

Three individualized helmets with embedded coil arrays were built for three marmosets. Whole-brain coverage was achieved with high sensitivity extending over the entire cortex. Visual stimulation of conscious awake marmosets elicited robust BOLD fMRI responses in both primary and higher order visual areas of the occipitotemporal cortex.

CONCLUSION

The high sensitivity provided by embedded receive-only coil arrays allows both anatomical and functional MRI data to be obtained with high spatial resolution in conscious, awake marmosets. Magn Reson Med 78:387-398, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Experimental verification of SNR and parallel imaging improvements using composite arrays

Composite MRI arrays consist of triplets where two orthogonal upright loops are placed over the same imaging area as a standard surface coil. The optimal height of the upright coils is approximately half the width for the 7 cm coils used in this work. Resistive and magnetic coupling is shown to be negligible within each coil triplet. Experimental evaluation of imaging performance was carried out on a Philips 3 T Achieva scanner using an eight-coil composite array consisting of three surface coils and five upright loops, as well as an array of eight surface coils for comparison. The composite array offers lower overall coupling than the traditional array. The sensitivities of upright coils are complementary to those of the surface coils and therefore provide SNR gains in regions where surface coil sensitivity is low, and additional spatial information for improved parallel imaging performance. Near the surface of the phantom the eight-channel surface coil array provides higher overall SNR than the composite array, but this advantage disappears beyond a depth of approximately one coil diameter, where it is typically more challenging to improve SNR. Furthermore, parallel imaging performance is better with the composite array compared with the surface coil array, especially at high accelerations and in locations deep in the phantom. Composite arrays offer an attractive means of improving imaging performance and channel density without reducing the size, and therefore the loading regime, of surface coil elements. Additional advantages of composite arrays include minimal SNR loss using root-sum-of-squares combination compared with optimal, and the ability to switch from high to low channel density by merely selecting only the surface elements, unlike surface coil arrays, which require additional hardware.

Geometric decoupling of a mouse array coil using a dual plane pair design with crisscrossed return paths and custom mounting fixture

An element design for receive array coils that decouples from the transmit coil without external active detuning is presented for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of mice. The array element uses a crisscrossed geometry on the return paths to reduce the current induced by the transmit coil. Without the need for an external active detune network, the proposed method simplifies the construction of MRI coil systems and also mitigates problems in space-limited MRI applications. In addition, an adaptable scissor-jack-like fixture is presented that allows the receive array to move parallel to the transmit coil to maintain the decoupling condition while maintaining close contact with varying sizes of mice.

Feasibility of multianimal hyperpolarized (13) C MRS

PURPOSE

There is great potential for real-time investigation of metabolism with MRS and hyperpolarized (HP) (13) C agents. Unfortunately, HP technology has high associated costs and efficiency limitations that may constrain in vivo studies involving many animals. To improve the throughput of preclinical investigations, we evaluate the feasibility of performing HP MRS on multiple animals simultaneously.

METHODS

Simulations helped assess the viability of a dual-coil strategy for spatially localized multivolume MRS. A dual-mouse system was assembled and characterized with bench- and scanner-based experiments. Enzyme phantoms mixed with HP [1-(13) C] pyruvate emulated real-time metabolism and offered a controlled mechanism for evaluating system performance. Finally, a normal mouse and a mouse bearing a subcutaneous xenograft of colon cancer were simultaneously scanned in vivo using an agent containing HP [1-(13) C] pyruvate.

RESULTS

Geometric separation/rotation, active decoupling, and use of low input impedance preamplifiers permitted an encode-by-channel approach for spatially localized MRS. A precalibrated shim allowed straightforward metabolite differentiation in enzyme phantom and in vivo experiments at 7 Tesla, with performance similar to conventional acquisitions.

CONCLUSION

The initial feasibility of multi-animal HP (13) C MRS was established. Throughput scales with the number of simultaneously scanned animals, demonstrating the potential for significant improvements in study efficiency.

A 22-channel receive array with Helmholtz transmit coil for anesthetized macaque MRI at 3 T

The macaque monkey is an important model for cognitive and sensory neuroscience that has been used extensively in behavioral, electrophysiological, molecular and, more recently, neuroimaging studies. However, macaque MRI has unique technical differences relative to human MRI, such as the geometry of highly parallel receive arrays, which must be addressed to optimize imaging performance. A 22-channel receive coil array was constructed specifically for rapid high-resolution anesthetized macaque monkey MRI at 3 T. A local Helmholtz transmit coil was used for excitation. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and noise amplification for parallel imaging were compared with those of single- and four-channel receive coils routinely used for macaque MRI. The 22-channel coil yielded significant improvements in SNR throughout the brain. Using this coil, the SNR in peripheral brain was 2.4 and 1.7 times greater than that obtained with single- or four-channel coils, respectively. In the central brain, the SNR gain was 1.5 times that of both the single- and four-channel coils. Finally, the performance of the array for functional, anatomical and diffusion-weighted imaging was evaluated. For all three modalities, the use of the 22-channel array allowed for high-resolution and accelerated image acquisition.

A parallel imaging approach to wide-field MR microscopy

Magnetic resonance microscopy, suggested in the earliest papers on MRI, has always been limited by the low signal-to-noise ratio resulting from the small voxel size. Magnetic resonance microscopy has largely been enabled by the use of microcoils that provide the signal-to-noise ratio improvement required to overcome this limitation. Concomitant with the small coils is a small field-of-view, which limits the use of magnetic resonance microscopy as a histological tool or for imaging large regions in general. This article describes initial results in wide field-of-view magnetic resonance microscopy using a large array of narrow, parallel coils, which provides a signal-to-noise ratio enhancement as well as the ability to use parallel imaging techniques. Comparison images made between a volume coil and the proposed technique demonstrate reductions in imaging time of more than 100 with no loss in signal-to-noise ratio or resolution.

A 64-channel 3T array coil for accelerated brain MRI

A 64-channel brain array coil was developed and compared to a 32-channel array constructed with the same coil former geometry to precisely isolate the benefit of the 2-fold increase in array coil elements. The constructed coils were developed for a standard clinical 3T MRI scanner and used a contoured head-shaped curved former around the occipital pole and tapered in at the neck to both improve sensitivity and patient comfort. Additionally, the design is a compact, split-former design intended for robust daily use. Signal-to-noise ratio and noise amplification (G-factor) for parallel imaging were quantitatively evaluated in human imaging and compared to a size and shape-matched 32-channel array coil. For unaccelerated imaging, the 64-channel array provided similar signal-to-noise ratio in the brain center to the 32-channel array and 1.3-fold more signal-to-noise ratio in the brain cortex. Reduced noise amplification during highly parallel imaging of the 64-channel array provided the ability to accelerate at approximately one unit higher at a given noise amplification compared to the sized-matched 32-channel array. For example, with a 4-fold acceleration rate, the central brain and cortical signal-to-noise ratio of the 64-channel array was 1.2- and 1.4-fold higher, respectively, compared to the 32-channel array. The characteristics of the coil are demonstrated in accelerated brain imaging.