Improving ultra-high field MRI using parallel transmit technology. (360G-Wellcome-108451_Z_15_Z)

Parallel transmit technology is a recent innovation in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that enables the sensitivity benefits possible in ultra-high field (7 Tesla) scanning to be achieved across the whole brain. The equipment requested is a parallel-transmit RF head coil. Oxford's 7 Tesla MRI scanner is already enabling researchers to study the function, structure, connectivity and metabolism of the human brain in greater detail and with higher sensitivity than had previously been possible. Ho wever, one of the greatest challenges to achieving these benefits in the broadest range of neuroscience applications is that it is difficult to obtain this high sensitivity uniformly across the brain. Some regions of the brain are essentially inaccessible at 7 Tesla due to the inhomogeneity of the RF transmission field. The most promising approach for overcoming this challenge requires parallel transmit hardware, which enables us to sculpt the transmission field. The new hardware requested will allow researchers to expand the set of brain regions and MRI modalities that can benefit from the exquisite sensitivity offered by the 7 Tesla scanner, opening up the methods to a greater range of clinical conditions and neuroscience questions.