Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is an imaging generating system that provides anatomical tissue information when radio frequency pulses excite the protons in tissues. Compared to other commonly used medical imaging tools, such as computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET), MRI is non-invasive and avoids radiation exposure to patients.[1] It provides physicians with better contrast of different types of soft tissues and a clearer anatomical view between air, bones, cartilage, organs, etc. Since its invention in the 1970s,[2] MRI has gone through huge technological developments. To achieve higher spatial and temporal resolution, scientists worked hard to create MRI scanners with higher magnetic fields, which are measured in Teslas (T). For animal imaging, MRI with up to 21T magnetic fields has been achieved. For human studies, MRI with 7T magnetic field is the highest magnetic field that has been approved by the FDA for clinical use.[3] MRI scanners with 7T or higher magnetic field are considered ultra-high field (UHF) scanners. UHF MRI opens a new imaging world for both researchers and physicians. 7T scanners can produce in-plane resolution up to 0.2 mm by providing higher signal- to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) than 3T scanners. This increased spatial and temporal resolution enables researchers to visualize previously unseen small anatomical details and subtle pathological structures.
Ultra-High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging Techniques in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience