Myelin Imaging in Brain using Inhomogeneous Magnetization Transfer(ihMT) at 3T and 7T

Master thesis (2020)

Authors

M. Vedula Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Contributors

R.F. Remis Signal Processing Systems - EEMCS (mentor)
Ece Ercan Leiden University Medical Center (coach)
M. Staring Pattern Recognition and Bioinformatics - EEMCS (graduation committee member)
Faculty
Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
Copyright: © 2020 Mano Vedula
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Published Date

26-03-2020

Language

English

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Faculty

Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Abstract

Demyelination is described as loss of myelin sheath in neurons which could lead to disruption in signal transmission in nervous system. Inhomogeneous Magnetization Transfer(ihMT) is a novel MRI technique used to image myelin. It uses the dipolar coupling between methyl chains in lipid layers of myelin to acquire myelin specific information. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of ihMT at 7T. Based on phantom experiments and Bloch simulations, the influence of off-resonance frequency $\Delta$, RF field strength $B_{1}$ and RF pulse proprieties on ihMTR are studied and optimized. For in-vivo imaging, the experiments are conducted on healthy volunteers. Since $B_{1}$ inhomogeneties are prevalent at higher fields, an optimized protocol is devised to achieve maximum ihMT effect at 7T. A comparison of 3T and 7T for the off-resonance frequency, RF field strength and pulse proprieties is presented to emphasize the impact of parameters at both the field strengths.