CTSC:MGHresources:MRI Research Area
The research area contains both large-bore and small-bore MR systems.
- Large-Bore MR Systems
Bay 1: Clinical area
The Clinical area contains the necessary patient care environment including waiting and changing rooms; support areas including business office, data viewing area, physician office, computer and magnet rooms. This area contains a 1.5 Tesla magnet (General Electric Corp, Waukesha WI) operating with the Excite platform. In addition to routine clinical studies, software is available for MR angiography, cardiac analysis and pulse programming. A second "physician" console is available for data analysis and 3D display.
Bay 2: 1.5T laboratory
This is a 1.5 Tesla Siemens Avanto 32 channel “TIM” system which has been upgraded to accommodate 96 RF receive channels. It uses a 60 cm whole-body MRI capable of EPI functional imaging at a sustained rate of 15 images per second, CINE, MR angiography, diffusion and perfusion studies and spectroscopy. The system has a gradient strength of 45 mT/m and slew rate of 200 T/m/s, provides routine second order shimming and has 32 independent RF receive channels for phased array coils. Bay 2 also contains an assortment of audio, visual, and sensory stimuli equipment for fMRI studies including front and rear projection, audio stimulation, a subject response device and eye tracking setup. The stimulus equipment is setup to be run from either a PC, Macintosh or the users laptop computer. Stimuli can trigger or be triggered by the scanner. Bay 2 is also equipped with a Siemens Syngo workstation for 3D image processing, cardiac evaluation, and quantitative image analysis.
Bay 3: 3T laboratory
This is a 32 channel Siemens Tim Trio 3T whole-body scanner with an insertable 36 cm (gradient coil ID) head-only gradient. The whole body gradient system uses the same gradients as the 1.5 T Avanto (45 mT/m strength, 200T/m/s slew rate). The system is capable of EPI, second order shimming, CINE, MR angiography, diffusion and perfusion studies, and spectroscopy. The asymmetric head gradient coil is capable of 60 mT/m and slew rates in excess of 600 T/m/s at a duty cycle of 70%, allowing single shot 3mm resolution EPI with an echo spacing of 300 µs at a sustained rate of 14 images/second. Bay 3 also contains an assortment of audio, visual, and sensory stimuli equipment for fMRI studies including rear projection, audio stimulation, a subject response device and eyetracking setup.
Bay 4: 3T laboratory
This is a 3T Siemens TIM Trio 60 cm (RF coil ID) 32 channel whole-body MRI. With EPI, second order shimming, CINE, MR angiography, diffusion, perfusion, and spectroscopy capabilities for both neuro and body applications. This system uses the same gradients as the 1.5 T Avanto (45 mT/m strength, 200T/m/s slew rate). The system is equipped with the standard “TIM” 32 RF channel receivers accommodating up to 32 element array coils but has been specially upgraded to accommodated 128 RF channels. An upgrade to perform multinuclear imaging and spectroscopy has recently been installed. Bay 4 also contains an assortment of audio, visual, and sensory stimuli equipment for fMRI studies including rear projection, audio stimulation, a subject response device and eyetracking setup.
Bay 5: 7.0T laboratory
This is a unique ultrahigh field 7.0 T head-only MRI with 80mT/m head gradient set and an Avanto whole body gradient set and 32 RF receive channels. The 7.0 T 90 cm (magnet ID) whole-body magnet was built by Magnex Scientific (Oxford, UK), and Siemens provided the conventional MRI console, gradient drivers and patient table. Integration of these components and the design and construction of RF coils were performed by MGH and Siemens personnel. The 7T whole body magnet is augmented with a 80mT/m, 800 T/m/s slew rate head gradient set (Siemens) for echoplanar imaging and 2nd and 3rd order resistive shim coils under computer control. With its high performance gradient set, the system can provide better than 100-µm resolution. The system is shielded by a 460-ton steel shield.
- Small-Bore MR Systems
9.4T laboratory
The 9.4T (400 Mhz proton frequency) 21cm dia. horizontal bore magnet (Magnex Scientific) utilizes a Bruker Advance console and is primarily for imaging and spectroscopy in small animals (rats and mice). Capabilities include high quality, high resolution anatomical and functional imaging, using a wide variety of contrast mechanisms(T1, T2, diffusion, perfusion), together with multi-shot 2D and 3D sequences, and single shot EPI. Multi-nuclear capabilities include high resolution localized spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging. This imager/spectrometer is intended primarily for rodent studies, and consists of a 9.4 T 21 cm diameter horizontal bore Magnex magnet, Magnex gradient coil set capable of 20 G/cm, and a Bruker BioSpin (Karlsruhe, Germany and Billerica, MA) BioSpec/Avance dual RF channel multinuclear console.
4.7T laboratory
This imager/spectrometer comprises an Oxford 4.7 T 33 cm horizontal bore magnet, a 20 G/cm gradient/shim system and a state of the art Bruker Instruments BioSpec/Avance dual RF channel multinuclear console. A 40 G/cm gradient coil insert is available. A wide variety of multinuclear imaging and spectroscopy experiments may be performed.
14T Spectroscopy/Microscopy Laboratory
A 14.1 T (600MHz) wide bore 8.9 cm actively screened vertical bore Magnex magnet and Bruker Avance spectrometer console has recently been installed. Capabilities include dual RF channels and deuterium lock; 5 mm and 10 mm direct and indirect observation high resolution (0.7 ppb) multinuclear multidimensional liquid state spectroscopy; high resolution (1.6 ppb) 1H and 13C MAS spectroscopy (including gradient spectroscopy); high power multinuclear cross polarization/magic angle spinning (CP/MAS) spectroscopy; an automated MAS sample changer; multinuclear microimaging and in vivo spectroscopy; actively screened gradients up to 100 g/cm; variable controlled temperature from –100 to +150 °C with stability approaching 0.1 °C.
