Technologies and methods |
||||||
|
One of the principal advantages of MR imaging is its ability to perform three-dimensional non-invasive imaging of optically opaque specimens. One of its principal disadvantage is the intrinsically poor signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the recorded signals. This limits the spatial and temporal resolution of the MR image. Estimates of the theoretical limits of resolution in the MR image range from 2 to 0.5 micrometers (µm). The practical spatial resolution is currently determined by SNR, which is often limited by the amount of time available to acquire the image (i.e. the temporal resolution). The challenge in MRI microscopy is to optimize the experimental setup (hardware and software) to overcome the poor intrinsic SNR in order to obtain a respectable image in a reasonable amount of time. There are a number of ways of recovering this signal loss, including working at high magnetic fields and customizing hardware and software to the samples of interest. In this work we employ a Bruker AMX500 Wide-bore (89 mm) NMR spectrometer with micro imaging accessories that include: digital gradient controller/drivers; shielded and non-shielded gradient sets; MRI probes with RF inserts from 3-30 mm sample sizes; Several homemade RF and gradient coils; 3 Techron 8606 amplifiers supplying 140 amps maximum current.
|
||||||
|
This project is supported by The Human Brain Project (NIDA and NIMH) and NCRR. |
||||||
|
|
||||||