Fast model-based T2 mapping using SAR-reduced simultaneous multislice excitation.

PURPOSE: To obtain whole-brain high-resolution T2 maps in 2 minutes by combining simultaneous multislice excitation and low-power PINS (power independent of number of slices) refocusing pulses with undersampling and a model-based reconstruction. METHODS: A multi-echo spin-echo sequence was modified to acquire multiple slices simultaneously, ensuring low specific absorption rate requirements. In addition, the acquisition was undersampled to achieve further acceleration. Data were reconstructed by subsequently applying parallel imaging to separate signals from different slices, and a model-based reconstruction to estimate quantitative T2 from the undersampled data. The signal model used is based on extended phase graph simulations that also account for nonideal slice profiles and B1 inhomogeneity. In vivo experiments with 3 healthy subjects were performed to compare accelerated T2 maps to fully sampled single-slice acquisitions. The accuracy of the T2 values was assessed with phantom experiments by comparing the T2 values to single-echo spin-echo measurements. RESULTS: In vivo results showed that conventional multi-echo spin-echo, simultaneous multislice, and undersampling result in similar mean T2 values within regions of interest. However, combining simultaneous multislice and undersampling results in higher SDs (about 7 ms) in comparison to a conventional sequence (about 3 ms). The T2 values were reproducible between scan and rescan (SD < 1.2 ms) within subjects and were in similar ranges across subjects (SD < 4.5 ms). CONCLUSION: The proposed method is a fast T2 mapping technique that enables whole-brain acquisitions at 0.7-mm in-plane resolution, 3-mm slice thickness, and low specific absorption rate in 2 minutes.

Surface-based characteristics of the cerebellar cortex visualized with ultra-high field MRI.

Although having a relatively homogeneous cytoarchitectonic organization, the cerebellar cortex is a heterogeneous region characterized by different amounts of myelin, iron and protein expression profiles. In this study, we used quantitative T1 and T2* mapping at ultra-high field (7T) MRI to investigate the tissue characteristics of the cerebellar gray matter surface and its layers. Detailed subject-specific surfaces were generated at three different cortical depths and averaged across subjects to create averaged T1- and T2*-maps on the cerebellar surface. T1 surfaces showed an alternation of lower and higher T1 values when going from the median to the lateral part of the cerebellar hemispheres. In addition, longer T1 values were observed in the more superficial gray matter layers. T2*-maps showed a similar longitudinal pattern, but no change related to the cortical depths. These patterns are possibly due to variations in the level of myelination, iron and zebrin protein expression.

True constructive interference in the steady state (trueCISS).

PURPOSE: To introduce a novel time-efficient method, termed true constructive interference in the steady state (trueCISS), that not only solves the problem of banding artifacts for balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) but also provides its genuine, that is, true, on-resonant signal. METHODS: After a compressed sensing reconstruction from a set of highly undersampled phase-cycled bSSFP scans, the local off-resonance, relaxation time ratio, and equilibrium magnetization are voxel-wise estimated using a dictionary-based fitting routine. Subsequently, on-resonant bSSFP images are generated using the previously estimated parameters. Due to the high undersampling factors used, the acquisition time is not prolonged with respect to a standard CISS acquisition. RESULTS: From a set of 16 phase-cycled SSFP scans in combination with an eightfold undersampling, both phantom and in vivo whole-brain experiments demonstrate that banding successfully can be removed. Additionally, trueCISS allows the derivation of synthetic bSSFP images with arbitrary flip angles, which enables image contrasts that may not be possible to acquire in practice due to safety constraints. CONCLUSION: TrueCISS offers banding-free bSSFP images with on-resonant signal intensity and without requiring additional acquisition time compared to conventional methods. Magn Reson Med 79:1901-1910, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Accelerated T2 mapping combining parallel MRI and model-based reconstruction: GRAPPATINI.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative T2 measurements are sensitive to intra- and extracellular water accumulation and myelin loss. Therefore, quantitative T2 promises to be a good biomarker of disease. However, T2 measurements require long acquisition times. PURPOSE: To accelerate T2 quantification and subsequent generation of synthetic T2 -weighted (T2 -w) image contrast for clinical research and routine. To that end, a recently developed model-based approach for rapid T2 and M0 quantification (MARTINI) based on undersampling k-space, was extended by parallel imaging (GRAPPA) to enable high-resolution T2 mapping with access to T2 -w images in less than 2 minutes acquisition time for the entire brain. STUDY TYPE: Prospective cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS/PHANTOM: Fourteen healthy subjects and a multipurpose phantom. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill sequence at a 3T scanner. ASSESSMENT: The accuracy and reproducibility of the accelerated T2 quantification was assessed. Validations comprised MRI studies on a phantom as well as the brain, knee, prostate, and liver from healthy volunteers. Synthetic T2 -w images were generated from computed T2 and M0 maps and compared to conventional fast spin-echo (SE) images. STATISTICAL TESTS: Root mean square distance (RMSD) to the reference method and region of interest analysis. RESULTS: The combination of MARTINI and GRAPPA (GRAPPATINI) lead to a 10-fold accelerated T2 mapping protocol with 1:44 minutes acquisition time and full brain coverage. The RMSD of GRAPPATINI increases less (4.3%) than a 10-fold MARTINI reconstruction (37.6%) in comparison to the reference. Reproducibility tests showed low standard deviation (SD) of T2 values in regions of interest between scan and rescan (<0.4 msec) and across subjects (<4 msec). DATA CONCLUSION: GRAPPATINI provides highly reproducible and fast whole-brain T2 maps and arbitrary synthetic T2 -w images in clinically compatible acquisition times of less than 2 minutes. These abilities are expected to support more widespread clinical applications of quantitative T2 mapping. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. MAGN. RESON. IMAGING 2018;48:359-368.

Prospective head motion correction using FID-guided on-demand image navigators.

PURPOSE: We suggest a motion correction concept that employs free-induction-decay (FID) navigator signals to continuously monitor motion and to guide the acquisition of image navigators for prospective motion correction following motion detection. METHODS: Motion causes out-of-range signal changes in FID time series that, and in this approach, initiate the acquisition of an image navigator. Co-registration of the image navigator to a reference provides rigid-body-motion parameters to facilitate prospective motion correction. Both FID and image navigator are integrated into a prototype magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo (MPRAGE) sequence. The performance of the method is investigated using image quality metrics and the consistency of brain volume measurements. RESULTS: Ten healthy subjects were scanned (a) while performing head movements (nodding, shaking, and moving in z-direction) and (b) to assess the co-registration performance. Mean absolute errors of 0.27 ± 0.38 mm and 0.19 ± 0.24° for translation and rotation parameters were measured. Image quality was qualitatively improved after correction. Significant improvements were observed in automated image quality measures and for most quantitative brain volume computations after correction. CONCLUSION: The presented method provides high sensitivity to detect head motion while minimizing the time invested in acquiring navigator images. Limits of this implementation arise from temporal resolution to detect motion, false-positive alarms, and registration accuracy. Magn Reson Med 78:193-203, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Comparison of accelerated T1-weighted whole-brain structural-imaging protocols.

Imaging in neuroscience, clinical research and pharmaceutical trials often employs the 3D magnetisation-prepared rapid gradient-echo (MPRAGE) sequence to obtain structural T1-weighted images with high spatial resolution of the human brain. Typical research and clinical routine MPRAGE protocols with ~1mm isotropic resolution require data acquisition time in the range of 5-10min and often use only moderate two-fold acceleration factor for parallel imaging. Recent advances in MRI hardware and acquisition methodology promise improved leverage of the MR signal and more benign artefact properties in particular when employing increased acceleration factors in clinical routine and research. In this study, we examined four variants of a four-fold-accelerated MPRAGE protocol (2D-GRAPPA, CAIPIRINHA, CAIPIRINHA elliptical, and segmented MPRAGE) and compared clinical readings, basic image quality metrics (SNR, CNR), and automated brain tissue segmentation for morphological assessments of brain structures. The results were benchmarked against a widely-used two-fold-accelerated 3T ADNI MPRAGE protocol that served as reference in this study. 22 healthy subjects (age=20-44yrs.) were imaged with all MPRAGE variants in a single session. An experienced reader rated all images of clinically useful image quality. CAIPIRINHA MPRAGE scans were perceived on average to be of identical value for reading as the reference ADNI-2 protocol. SNR and CNR measurements exhibited the theoretically expected performance at the four-fold acceleration. The results of this study demonstrate that the four-fold accelerated protocols introduce systematic biases in the segmentation results of some brain structures compared to the reference ADNI-2 protocol. Furthermore, results suggest that the increased noise levels in the accelerated protocols play an important role in introducing these biases, at least under the present study conditions.

Automated detection of white matter and cortical lesions in early stages of multiple sclerosis.

PURPOSE: To develop a method to automatically detect multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions, located both in white matter (WM) and in the cortex, in patients with low disability and early disease stage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed a lesion detection method, based on the k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) technique, to detect lesions as small as 0.0036 mL. This method uses the image intensity information from up to four different 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences (magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo, MPRAGE; magnetization-prepared two inversion-contrast rapid gradient-echo, MP2RAGE; 3D fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, FLAIR; and 3D double-inversion recovery, DIR), acquired on a 3T scanner. To these intensity features we added the information obtained by the spatial coordinates and tissue prior probabilities provided by the International Consortium for Brain Mapping (ICBM). Quantitative assessment was done in 39 early-stage MS patients with a "leave-one-out" cross-validation. RESULTS: The best lesion detection rate (DR) performance in WM was obtained using MP2RAGE, FLAIR, and DIR intensities (77% for lesions ≥0.0036 mL; 85% for lesions ≥0.005 mL). Similar results were obtained excluding the DIR intensity as well as when using only MPRAGE and FLAIR (DR = 75%, P = 0.5720). However, the combination of FLAIR with DIR and MP2RAGE appeared to be the best for detecting cortical lesions (DR = 62%), compared to the other combination of sequences (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: For WM lesion detection, similar results were observed when only conventional clinical sequences (FLAIR, MPRAGE) were used compared to a combination of conventional and "advanced" sequences (MP2RAGE, DIR). Cortical lesion detection increased significantly when "advanced" sequences were used. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;43:1445-1454.

Serum neurofilament light chain in early relapsing remitting MS is increased and correlates with CSF levels and with MRI measures of disease severity.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients correlate with the degree of neuronal injury. To date, little is known about NfL concentrations in the serum of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients and their relationship with CSF levels and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of disease severity. We aimed to validate the quantification of NfL in serum samples of RRMS, as a biofluid source easily accessible for longitudinal studies. METHODS: A total of 31 RRMS patients underwent CSF and serum sampling. After a median time of 3.6 years, 19 of these RRMS patients, 10 newly recruited RRMS patients and 18 healthy controls had a 3T MRI and serum sampling. NfL concentrations were determined by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS: NfL levels in serum were highly correlated to levels in CSF (r = 0.62, p = 0.0002). Concentrations in serum were higher in patients than in controls at baseline (p = 0.004) and follow-up (p = 0.0009) and did not change over time (p = 0.56). Serum NfL levels correlated with white matter (WM) lesion volume (r = 0.68, p < 0.0001), mean T1 (r = 0.40, p = 0.034) and T2* relaxation time (r = 0.49, p = 0.007) and with magnetization transfer ratio in normal appearing WM (r = -0.41, p = 0.029). CONCLUSION: CSF and serum NfL levels were highly correlated, and serum concentrations were increased in RRMS. Serum NfL levels correlated with MRI markers of WM disease severity. Our findings further support longitudinal studies of serum NfL as a potential biomarker of on-going disease progression and as a potential surrogate to quantify effects of neuroprotective drugs in clinical trials.

Basic MR sequence parameters systematically bias automated brain volume estimation.

INTRODUCTION: Automated brain MRI morphometry, including hippocampal volumetry for Alzheimer disease, is increasingly recognized as a biomarker. Consequently, a rapidly increasing number of software tools have become available. We tested whether modifications of simple MR protocol parameters typically used in clinical routine systematically bias automated brain MRI segmentation results. METHODS: The study was approved by the local ethical committee and included 20 consecutive patients (13 females, mean age 75.8 ± 13.8 years) undergoing clinical brain MRI at 1.5 T for workup of cognitive decline. We compared three 3D T1 magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo (MPRAGE) sequences with the following parameter settings: ADNI-2 1.2 mm iso-voxel, no image filtering, LOCAL- 1.0 mm iso-voxel no image filtering, LOCAL+ 1.0 mm iso-voxel with image edge enhancement. Brain segmentation was performed by two different and established analysis tools, FreeSurfer and MorphoBox, using standard parameters. RESULTS: Spatial resolution (1.0 versus 1.2 mm iso-voxel) and modification in contrast resulted in relative estimated volume difference of up to 4.28 % (p < 0.001) in cortical gray matter and 4.16 % (p < 0.01) in hippocampus. Image data filtering resulted in estimated volume difference of up to 5.48 % (p < 0.05) in cortical gray matter. CONCLUSION: A simple change of MR parameters, notably spatial resolution, contrast, and filtering, may systematically bias results of automated brain MRI morphometry of up to 4-5 %. This is in the same range as early disease-related brain volume alterations, for example, in Alzheimer disease. Automated brain segmentation software packages should therefore require strict MR parameter selection or include compensatory algorithms to avoid MR parameter-related bias of brain morphometry results.

Multicontrast connectometry: a new tool to assess cerebellum alterations in early relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Cerebellar pathology occurs in late multiple sclerosis (MS) but little is known about cerebellar changes during early disease stages. In this study, we propose a new multicontrast "connectometry" approach to assess the structural and functional integrity of cerebellar networks and connectivity in early MS. METHODS: We used diffusion spectrum and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to establish the structural and functional cerebellar connectomes in 28 early relapsing-remitting MS patients and 16 healthy controls (HC). We performed multicontrast "connectometry" by quantifying multiple MRI parameters along the structural tracts (generalized fractional anisotropy-GFA, T1/T2 relaxation times and magnetization transfer ratio) and functional connectivity measures. Subsequently, we assessed multivariate differences in local connections and network properties between MS and HC subjects; finally, we correlated detected alterations with lesion load, disease duration, and clinical scores. RESULTS: In MS patients, a subset of structural connections showed quantitative MRI changes suggesting loss of axonal microstructure and integrity (increased T1 and decreased GFA, P < 0.05). These alterations highly correlated with motor, memory and attention in patients, but were independent of cerebellar lesion load and disease duration. Neither network organization nor rs-fMRI abnormalities were observed at this early stage. CONCLUSION: Multicontrast cerebellar connectometry revealed subtle cerebellar alterations in MS patients, which were independent of conventional disease markers and highly correlated with patient function. Future work should assess the prognostic value of the observed damage.

Magnetic resonance imaging in Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative 2.

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is now in its 10th year. The primary objective of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) core of ADNI has been to improve methods for clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders. METHODS: We review the contributions of the MRI core from present and past cycles of ADNI (ADNI-1, -Grand Opportunity and -2). We also review plans for the future-ADNI-3. RESULTS: Contributions of the MRI core include creating standardized acquisition protocols and quality control methods; examining the effect of technical features of image acquisition and analysis on outcome metrics; deriving sample size estimates for future trials based on those outcomes; and piloting the potential utility of MR perfusion, diffusion, and functional connectivity measures in multicenter clinical trials. DISCUSSION: Over the past decade the MRI core of ADNI has fulfilled its mandate of improving methods for clinical trials in AD and will continue to do so in the future.

Impact of image acquisition on voxel-based-morphometry investigations of age-related structural brain changes.

A growing number of magnetic resonance imaging studies employ voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to assess structural brain changes. Recent reports have shown that image acquisition parameters may influence VBM results. For systematic evaluation, gray-matter-density (GMD) changes associated with aging were investigated by VBM employing acquisitions with different radiofrequency head coils (12-channel matrix coil vs. 32-channel array), different pulse sequences (MP-RAGE vs. MP2RAGE), and different voxel dimensions (1mm vs. 0.8mm). Thirty-six healthy subjects, classified as young, middle-aged, or elderly, participated in the study. Two-sample and paired t-tests revealed significant effects of acquisition parameters (coil, pulse sequence, and resolution) on the estimated age-related GMD changes in cortical and subcortical regions. Potential advantages in tissue classification and segmentation were obtained for MP2RAGE. The 32-channel coil generally outperformed the 12-channel coil, with more benefit for MP2RAGE. Further improvement can be expected from higher resolution if the loss in SNR is accounted for. Use of inconsistent acquisition parameters in VBM analyses is likely to introduce systematic bias. Overall, acquisition and protocol changes require careful adaptations of the VBM analysis strategy before generalized conclusion can be drawn.

Influence of magnetic field strength and image registration strategy on voxel-based morphometry in a study of Alzheimer's disease.

Multi-centre data repositories like the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) offer a unique research platform, but pose questions concerning comparability of results when using a range of imaging protocols and data processing algorithms. The variability is mainly due to the non-quantitative character of the widely used structural T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images. Although the stability of the main effect of Alzheimer's disease (AD) on brain structure across platforms and field strength has been addressed in previous studies using multi-site MR images, there are only sparse empirically-based recommendations for processing and analysis of pooled multi-centre structural MR data acquired at different magnetic field strengths (MFS). Aiming to minimise potential systematic bias when using ADNI data we investigate the specific contributions of spatial registration strategies and the impact of MFS on voxel-based morphometry in AD. We perform a whole-brain analysis within the framework of Statistical Parametric Mapping, testing for main effects of various diffeomorphic spatial registration strategies, of MFS and their interaction with disease status. Beyond the confirmation of medial temporal lobe volume loss in AD, we detect a significant impact of spatial registration strategy on estimation of AD related atrophy. Additionally, we report a significant effect of MFS on the assessment of brain anatomy (i) in the cerebellum, (ii) the precentral gyrus and (iii) the thalamus bilaterally, showing no interaction with the disease status. We provide empirical evidence in support of pooling data in multi-centre VBM studies irrespective of disease status or MFS.

Structural abnormalities in the thalamus of migraineurs with aura: a multiparametric study at 3 T.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The thalamus exerts a pivotal role in pain processing and cortical excitability control, and migraine is characterized by repeated pain attacks and abnormal cortical habituation to excitatory stimuli. This work aimed at studying the microstructure of the thalamus in migraine patients using an innovative multiparametric approach at high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). DESIGN: We examined 37 migraineurs (22 without aura, MWoA, and 15 with aura, MWA) as well as 20 healthy controls (HC) in a 3-T MRI equipped with a 32-channel coil. We acquired whole-brain T1 relaxation maps and computed magnetization transfer ratio (MTR), generalized fractional anisotropy, and T2* maps to probe microstructural and connectivity integrity and to assess iron deposition. We also correlated the obtained parametric values with the average monthly frequency of migraine attacks and disease duration. RESULTS: T1 relaxation time was significantly shorter in the thalamus of MWA patients compared with MWoA (P < 0.001) and HC (P ≤ 0.01); in addition, MTR was higher and T2* relaxation time was shorter in MWA than in MWoA patients (P < 0.05, respectively). These data reveal broad microstructural alterations in the thalamus of MWA patients compared with MWoA and HC, suggesting increased iron deposition and myelin content/cellularity. However, MWA and MWoA patients did not show any differences in the thalamic nucleus involved in pain processing in migraine. CONCLUSIONS: There are broad microstructural alterations in the thalamus of MWA patients that may underlie abnormal cortical excitability control leading to cortical spreading depression and visual aura.

Reduction of motion artifacts in carotid MRI using free-induction decay navigators.

PURPOSE: To develop a framework for prospective free-induction decay (FID)-based navigator gating for suppression of motion artifacts in carotid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to assess its capability in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An FID-navigator, comprising a spatially selective low flip-angle sinc-pulse followed by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) readout, was added to a conventional turbo spin-echo (TSE) sequence. Real-time navigator processing delivered accept/reject-and-reacquire decisions to the sequence. In this Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved study, seven volunteers were scanned with a 2D T2-weighted TSE sequence. A reference scan with volunteers instructed to minimize motion as well as nongated and gated scans with volunteers instructed to perform different motion tasks were performed in each subject. Multiple image quality measures were employed to quantify the effect of gating. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in lumen-to-wall sharpness (2.3 ± 0.3 vs. 2.3 ± 0.4), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) (9.0 ± 2.0 vs. 8.5 ± 2.0), or image quality score (3.1 ± 0.9 vs. 2.6 ± 1.2) between the reference and gated images. For images acquired during motion, all image quality measures were higher (P < 0.05) in the gated compared to nongated images (sharpness: 2.3 ± 0.4 vs. 1.8 ± 0.5, CNR: 8.5 ± 2.0 vs. 7.2 ± 2.0, score: 2.6 ± 1.2 vs. 1.8 ± 1.0). CONCLUSION: Artifacts caused by the employed motion tasks deteriorated image quality in the nongated scans. These artifacts were alleviated with the proposed FID-navigator.

Dielectric pads and low- B1+ adiabatic pulses: complementary techniques to optimize structural T1 w whole-brain MP2RAGE scans at 7 tesla.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the combination of low-B1 (+) adiabatic pulses and high permittivity (εr ≈ 165) dielectric pads effectiveness to reproducibly improve the inversion efficiency for whole-brain MP2RAGE scans, at ultra-high field. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two low-B1 (+) adiabatic pulses, HS8 and TR-FOCI, were compared with the conventional HS1 adiabatic pulse in MP2RAGE acquisitions of four subjects at 7 Tesla. The uniform MP2RAGE images were qualitatively assessed for poor inversion artifacts by trained observers. Each subject was rescanned using dielectric pads. Eight further subjects underwent two MP2RAGE scan sessions using dielectric pads and the TR-FOCI adiabatic pulse. RESULTS: The HS8 and TR-FOCI pulses improved inversion coverage in all subjects compared with the HS1 pulse. However, in subjects whose head lengths are large (≥136 mm) relative to the coil's z-coverage, the B1 (+) field over the cerebellum was insufficient to cause inversion. Dielectric pads increase the B1 (+) field, by ∼50%, over the cerebellum, which in conjunction with the TR-FOCI pulse, reproducibly improves the inversion efficiency over the whole brain for subjects with head lengths ≤155 mm. Minor residual inversion artifacts were present in three of eight subjects (head lengths ≥155 mm). CONCLUSION: The complementary techniques of low-B1 (+) adiabatic RF pulses and high permittivity dielectric pads allow whole-brain structural T1 w images to be reliably acquired at ultra-high field. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;40:804-812. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dental-dedicated MRI, a novel approach for dentomaxillofacial diagnostic imaging: technical specifications and feasibility.

MRI is a noninvasive, ionizing radiation-free imaging modality that has become an indispensable medical diagnostic method. The literature suggests MRI as a potential diagnostic modality in dentomaxillofacial radiology. However, current MRI equipment is designed for medical imaging (eg, brain and body imaging), with general-purpose use in radiology. Hence, it appears expensive for dentists to purchase and maintain, besides being complex to operate. In recent years, MRI has entered some areas of dentistry and has reached a point in which it can be provided following a tailored approach. This technical report introduces a dental-dedicated MRI (ddMRI) system, describing how MRI can be adapted to fit dentomaxillofacial radiology through the appropriate choice of field strength, dental radiofrequency surface coil, and pulse sequences. Also, this technical report illustrates the possible application and feasibility of the suggested ddMRI system in some relevant diagnostic tasks in dentistry. Based on the presented cases, it is fair to consider the suggested ddMRI system as a feasible approach to introducing MRI to dentists and dentomaxillofacial radiology specialists. Further studies are needed to clarify the diagnostic accuracy of ddMRI considering the various diagnostic tasks relevant to the practice of dentistry.

Magnetization transfer-based 3D visualization of foot peripheral nerves.

PURPOSE: To investigate magnetization transfer (MT) effects as a new source of contrast for imaging and tracking of peripheral foot nerves. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two sets of 3D spoiled gradient-echo images acquired with and without a saturation pulse were used to generate MT ratio (MTR) maps of 260 µm in-plane resolution for eight volunteers at 3T. Scan parameters were adjusted to minimize signal loss due to T2 dephasing, and a dedicated coil was used to improve the inherently low signal-to-noise ratio of small voxels. Resulting MTR values in foot nerves were compared with those in surrounding muscle tissue. RESULTS: Average MTR values for muscle (45.5 ± 1.4%) and nerve (21.4 ± 3.1%) were significantly different (P < 0.0001). In general, the difference in MTR values was sufficiently large to allow for intensity-based segmentation and tracking of foot nerves in individual subjects. This procedure was termed MT-based 3D visualization. CONCLUSION: The MTR serves as a new source of contrast for imaging of peripheral foot nerves and provides a means for high spatial resolution tracking of these structures. The proposed methodology is directly applicable on standard clinical MR scanners and could be applied to systemic pathologies, such as diabetes.

The history and role of long duration stimulation in fMRI.

During the past 20 years, BOLD fMRI has developed towards a central and fundamental tool in neuroscience. It has been shown that the BOLD response provides an indicator of neuronal activity in the brain. Consequently, for an accurate interpretation of findings in BOLD MRI experiments and to draw meaningful conclusions about the temporal evolution of neural events, a deep understanding of the nature of the BOLD contrast has become of essential importance. Since the dynamics of the major direct determinants of the BOLD signal (CBF, CBV and CMRO(2)) range between seconds and minutes, long duration stimulation was an early key strategy needed to study and understand the BOLD characteristics. This paper summarizes and discusses the thoughts and rationales of the long duration stimulation studies.

Prospective and retrospective motion correction in diffusion magnetic resonance imaging of the human brain.

Diffusion-weighting in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) increases the sensitivity to molecular Brownian motion, providing insight in the micro-environment of the underlying tissue types and structures. At the same time, the diffusion weighting renders the scans sensitive to other motion, including bulk patient motion. Typically, several image volumes are needed to extract diffusion information, inducing also inter-volume motion susceptibility. Bulk motion is more likely during long acquisitions, as they appear in diffusion tensor, diffusion spectrum and q-ball imaging. Image registration methods are successfully used to correct for bulk motion in other MRI time series, but their performance in diffusion-weighted MRI is limited since diffusion weighting introduces strong signal and contrast changes between serial image volumes. In this work, we combine the capability of free induction decay (FID) navigators, providing information on object motion, with image registration methodology to prospectively--or optionally retrospectively--correct for motion in diffusion imaging of the human brain. Eight healthy subjects were instructed to perform small-scale voluntary head motion during clinical diffusion tensor imaging acquisitions. The implemented motion detection based on FID navigator signals is processed in real-time and provided an excellent detection performance of voluntary motion patterns even at a sub-millimetre scale (sensitivity≥92%, specificity>98%). Motion detection triggered an additional image volume acquisition with b=0 s/mm2 which was subsequently co-registered to a reference volume. In the prospective correction scenario, the calculated motion-parameters were applied to perform a real-time update of the gradient coordinate system to correct for the head movement. Quantitative analysis revealed that the motion correction implementation is capable to correct head motion in diffusion-weighted MRI to a level comparable to scans without voluntary head motion. The results indicate the potential of this method to improve image quality in diffusion-weighted MRI, a concept that can also be applied when highest diffusion weightings are performed.