Simultaneous Multislice for Accelerating Diffusion MRI in Clinical Neuroradiology Protocols.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Diffusion MR imaging sequences essential for clinical neuroradiology imaging protocols may be accelerated with simultaneous multislice acquisitions. We tested whether simultaneous multislice-accelerated diffusion data were clinically equivalent to standard acquisitions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, clinical diffusion sequences obtained before and after implementation of 2-slice simultaneous multislice acceleration and an altered diffusion gradient sampling scheme using the same 3T MRI scanner and 20-channel coil (n = 25 per group) were independently and blindly evaluated by 2 neuroradiologists for perceived quality, artifacts, and overall diagnostic utility. Diffusion tractography was performed in 13 patients both with and without 2-slice simultaneous multislice acceleration (b = 0, 1000, 2000 s/mm2; 60 directions). The corticospinal tract and arcuate fasciculus ipsilateral to the lesion were generated using the same ROIs and then blindly assessed by a neurosurgeon for anatomic fidelity, perceived quality, and impact on surgical management. Tract volumes were compared for spatial overlap. RESULTS: Two-slice simultaneous multislice diffusion reduced acquisition times from 141 to 45 seconds for routine diffusion and from 7.5 to 5.9 minutes for diffusion tractography using 3T MR imaging. The simultaneous multislice-accelerated diffusion sequence was rated equivalent for diagnostic utility despite reductions to perceived image quality. Simultaneous multislice-accelerated diffusion tractography was rated clinically equivalent. Dice similarity coefficients between routine and simultaneous multislice-generated corticospinal tract and arcuate fasciculus tract volumes were 0.78 (SD, 0.03) and 0.71 (SD, 0.05), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Two-slice simultaneous multislice diffusion appeared clinically equivalent for standard acquisitions and diffusion tractography. Simultaneous multislice makes it feasible to acquire higher angular and q-space-resolution diffusion acquisitions required for translating advanced diffusion models into clinical practice.

Direct In Vivo MRI Discrimination of Brain Stem Nuclei and Pathways.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The brain stem is a complex configuration of small nuclei and pathways for motor, sensory, and autonomic control that are essential for life, yet internal brain stem anatomy is difficult to characterize in living subjects. We hypothesized that the 3D fast gray matter acquisition T1 inversion recovery sequence, which uses a short inversion time to suppress signal from white matter, could improve contrast resolution of brain stem pathways and nuclei with 3T MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After preliminary optimization for contrast resolution, the fast gray matter acquisition T1 inversion recovery sequence was performed in 10 healthy subjects (5 women; mean age, 28.8 ± 4.8 years) with the following parameters: TR/TE/TI = 3000/2.55/410 ms, flip angle = 4°, isotropic resolution = 0.8 mm, with 4 averages (acquired separately and averaged outside k-space to reduce motion; total scan time = 58 minutes). One subject returned for an additional 5-average study that was combined with a previous session to create a highest quality atlas for anatomic assignments. A 1-mm isotropic resolution, 12-minute version, proved successful in a patient with a prior infarct. RESULTS: The fast gray matter acquisition T1 inversion recovery sequence generated excellent contrast resolution of small brain stem pathways in all 3 planes for all 10 subjects. Several nuclei could be resolved directly by image contrast alone or indirectly located due to bordering visualized structures (eg, locus coeruleus and pedunculopontine nucleus). CONCLUSIONS: The fast gray matter acquisition T1 inversion recovery sequence has the potential to provide imaging correlates to clinical conditions that affect the brain stem, improve neurosurgical navigation, validate diffusion tractography of the brain stem, and generate a 3D atlas for automatic parcellation of specific brain stem structures.

3T MRI Whole-Brain Microscopy Discrimination of Subcortical Anatomy, Part 2: Basal Forebrain.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The basal forebrain contains multiple structures of great interest to emerging functional neurosurgery applications, yet many neuroradiologists are unfamiliar with this neuroanatomy because it is not resolved with current clinical MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We applied an optimized TSE T2 sequence to washed whole postmortem brain samples (n = 13) to demonstrate and characterize the detailed anatomy of the basal forebrain using a clinical 3T MR imaging scanner. We measured the size of selected internal myelinated pathways and measured subthalamic nucleus size, oblique orientation, and position relative to the intercommissural point. RESULTS: We identified most basal ganglia and diencephalon structures using serial axial, coronal, and sagittal planes relative to the intercommissural plane. Specific oblique image orientations demonstrated the positions and anatomic relationships for selected structures of interest to functional neurosurgery. We observed only 0.2- to 0.3-mm right-left differences in the anteroposterior and superoinferior length of the subthalamic nucleus (P = .084 and .047, respectively). Individual variability for the subthalamic nucleus was greatest for angulation within the sagittal plane (range, 15°-37°), transverse dimension (range, 2-6.7 mm), and most inferior border (range, 4-7 mm below the intercommissural plane). CONCLUSIONS: Direct identification of basal forebrain structures in multiple planes using the TSE T2 sequence makes this challenging neuroanatomy more accessible to practicing neuroradiologists. This protocol can be used to better define individual variations relevant to functional neurosurgical targeting and validate/complement advanced MR imaging methods being developed for direct visualization of these structures in living patients.

3T MRI Whole-Brain Microscopy Discrimination of Subcortical Anatomy, Part 1: Brain Stem.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The brain stem is compactly organized with life-sustaining sensorimotor and autonomic structures that can be affected by numerous pathologies but can be difficult to resolve on conventional MR imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We applied an optimized TSE T2 sequence to washed postmortem brain samples to reveal exquisite and reproducible brain stem anatomic MR imaging contrast comparable with histologic atlases. This resource-efficient approach can be performed across multiple whole-brain samples with relatively short acquisition times (2 hours per imaging plane) using clinical 3T MR imaging systems. RESULTS: We identified most brain stem structures at 7 canonical axial levels. Multiplanar or oblique planes illustrate the 3D course and spatial relationships of major brain stem white matter pathways. Measurements of the relative position, course, and cross-sectional area of these pathways across multiple samples allow estimation of pathway location in other samples or clinical subjects. Possible structure-function asymmetries in these pathways will require further study-that is, the cross-sectional area of the left corticospinal tract in the midpons appeared 20% larger (n = 13 brains, P < .10). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with traditional atlases, multiplanar MR imaging contrast has advantages for learning and retaining brain stem anatomy for clinicians and trainees. Direct TSE MR imaging sequence discrimination of brain stem anatomy can help validate other MR imaging contrasts, such as diffusion tractography, or serve as a structural template for extracting quantitative MR imaging data in future postmortem investigations.

Head and Neck MRI Findings in CHARGE Syndrome.

Coloboma of the eye, Heart defects, Atresia of the choanae, Retardation of growth and/or development, Genital and/or urinary abnormalities, and Ear abnormalities and deafness (CHARGE) syndrome is a disorder with multiple congenital anomalies seen on imaging. A retrospective review of 10 patients with CHARGE syndrome who underwent MR imaging of the brain as part of a preoperative evaluation for cochlear implantation was conducted. Structural abnormalities of the entire MR imaging of the head were evaluated, including the auditory system, olfactory system, face, skull base, and central nervous system. The most frequent MR imaging findings included dysplasias of the semicircular canals and hypoplasia of the frontal lobe olfactory sulci. Less frequent findings included cleft lip/palate and coloboma. Our study uncovered new findings of a J-shaped sella, dorsal angulation of the clivus, and absent/atrophic parotid glands, not previously described in patients with CHARGE. Our results emphasize the utility of MR imaging in the diagnosis and management of patients with CHARGE syndrome.

Palliative CT-Guided Cordotomy for Medically Intractable Pain in Patients with Cancer.

Palliative cervical cordotomy can be performed via percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of the lateral C1-2 spinothalamic tract. This rare procedure can be safe, effective, and advantageous in mitigating medically intractable unilateral extremity pain for selected patients with end-stage cancer. This report reviews the indications, techniques, risks, and potential benefits of cordotomy. We describe our recent experience treating 3 patients with CT-guided C1-2 cordotomy and provide the first characterization of spinal cord diffusion MR imaging changes associated with successful cordotomy.

New Clinically Feasible 3T MRI Protocol to Discriminate Internal Brain Stem Anatomy.

Two new 3T MR imaging contrast methods, track density imaging and echo modulation curve T2 mapping, were combined with simultaneous multisection acquisition to reveal exquisite anatomic detail at 7 canonical levels of the brain stem. Compared with conventional MR imaging contrasts, many individual brain stem tracts and nuclear groups were directly visualized for the first time at 3T. This new approach is clinically practical and feasible (total scan time = 20 minutes), allowing better brain stem anatomic localization and characterization.

Pulsed field magnetization in rare-earth kagome systems.

The rare-earth kagome systems R 3Ga5SiO14 (R = Nd or Pr) exhibit cooperative paramagnetism at low temperatures. Evidence for correlated spin clusters in these weakly frustrated systems has previously been obtained from neutron scattering and from ESR and NMR results. The present pulsed field (0-60 T, 25 ms) magnetization measurements made on single crystals of Nd3Ga5SiO14 (NGS) and Pr3Ga5SiO14 (PGS) at temperatures down to 450 mK have revealed striking differences in the magnetic responses of the two materials. For NGS the magnetization shows a low field plateau, saturation in high transient fields, and significant hysteresis while the PGS magnetization does not saturate in transient fields up to 60 T and shows no hysteresis or plateaus. Nd(3+) is a Kramers ion while Pr(3+) is a non-Kramers ion and the crystal field effects are quite different in the two systems. For the conditions used in the experiments the magnetization behavior is not in agreement with Heisenberg model predictions for kagome systems in which easy-axis anisotropy is much larger than the exchange coupling. The extremely slow spin dynamics found below 4 K in NGS is, however, consistent with the model for Kramers ions and provides a basis for explaining the pulsed field magnetization features.

The metal-insulator transition in trivalent-ion-doped tungsten bronzes.

Electrical transport measurements have been made on a series of trivalent-ion-doped tungsten bronzes MxWO3, with M = Y (0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.12) or La (0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.19), over the temperature range 2-300 K. The results are consistent with a metal-insulator transition (MIT) at a critical concentration xC ≃ 0.06, which corresponds to an electron concentration nC ≃ 3.3 × 10(21) cm(-3). The appearance of small concentrations of non-cubic phases for x ∼ xC does not have a significant impact on the evolution of the electronic properties of the trivalent bronzes in the low x range. Analysis of the transport results, and a comparison of the findings with those obtained by other workers for the sodium tungsten bronzes, suggest that electron-electron interaction effects play a significant role in inducing the MIT in this type of disordered system.

Cascade of magnetic field induced spin transitions in LaCoO3.

We present magnetization and magnetostriction studies of LaCoO3 in magnetic fields approaching 100 T. In contrast with expectations from single-ion models, the data reveal two distinct first-order transitions and well-defined magnetization plateaus. The magnetization at the higher plateau is only about half the saturation value expected for spin-1 Co3+ ions. These findings strongly suggest collective behavior induced by interactions between different electronic configurations of Co3+ ions. We propose a model that predicts crystalline spin textures and a cascade of four magnetic phase transitions at high fields, of which the first two account for the experimental data.

Composition controlled spin polarization in Co(1-x)Fe(x)S(2) alloys.

The transition metal (TM) chalcogenides of the form TMX(2) (X = S or Se) have been studied for decades due to their interesting electronic and magnetic properties such as metamagnetism and metal-insulator transitions. In particular, the Co(1-x)Fe(x)S(2) alloys were the subject of investigation in the 1970s due to general interest in itinerant ferromagnetism. In recent years (2000-present) it has been shown, both by electronic structure calculations and detailed experimental investigations, that Co(1-x)Fe(x)S(2) is a model system for the investigation of highly spin polarized ferromagnetism. The radically different electronic properties of the two endpoint compounds (CoS(2) is a narrow bandwidth ferromagnetic metal, while FeS(2) is a diamagnetic semiconductor), in a system forming a substitutional solid solution allows for composition control of the Fermi level relative to the spin split bands, and therefore composition-controlled conduction electron spin polarization. In essence, the recent work has shown that the concept of 'band engineering' can be applied to half-metallic ferromagnets and that high spin polarization can be deliberately engineered. Experiments reveal tunability in both sign and magnitude of the spin polarization at the Fermi level, with maximum values obtained to date of 85% at low temperatures. In this paper we review the properties of Co(1-x)Fe(x)S(2) alloys, with an emphasis on properties of relevance to half-metallicity. Crystal structure, electronic structure, synthesis, magnetic properties, transport properties, direct probes of the spin polarization, and measurements of the total density of states at the Fermi level are all discussed. We conclude with a discussion of the factors that influence, or even limit, the spin polarization, along with a discussion of opportunities and problems for future investigation, particularly with regard to fundamental studies of spintronic devices.

Evolution with composition of the d-band density of states at the Fermi level in highly spin polarized Co1-xFexS2.

Highly spin polarized (SP) and half-metallic ferromagnetic systems are of considerable current interest and of potential importance for spintronic applications. Recent work has demonstrated that Co1-xFexS2 is a highly polarized ferromagnet (FM) where the spin polarization can be tuned by alloy composition. Using 59Co FM-NMR as a probe, we have measured the low-temperature spin relaxation in this system in magnetic fields from 0 to 1.0 T for 0

Magnetic phase separation in La1-xSrxCoO3 by 59Co nuclear magnetic resonance.

59Co NMR measurements on La1-xSrxCoO3 reported here establish unequivocally, for the first time, the coexistence of ferromagnetic regions, spin-glass regions, and hole-poor low spin regions at all x values from 0.1 to 0.5. A zero external field NMR spectrum, which is assigned to the ferromagnetic regions, has a spectral shape that is nearly x independent at 1.9 K, as are the relaxation times, T1 and T2. The integrated spectral area increases rapidly with x up to x = 0.2 and then decreases slightly for larger x. In a field of 9.97 T, a narrow NMR line is observed at 102 MHz, identical to that found in x = 0 samples in previous work. The integrated intensity of this spectrum decreases rapidly with increasing x, and is ascribed to hole-poor low spin regions. Beneath this spectrum, a third broad line, with a peak at 100 MHz, is assigned to a spin- or cluster-glass-like phase.