Design and application of a multimodality-compatible 1Tx/6Rx RF coil for monkey brain MRI at 7T
Shuxian Qu,
Sunhang Shi,
Zhiyan Quan,
Yang Gao,
Minmin Wang,
Yueming Wang,
Gang Pan,
Hsin-Yi Lai,
Anna Wang Roe,
Xiaotong Zhang
Affiliations
Shuxian Qu
The Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Sunhang Shi
The Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Zhiyan Quan
The Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Yang Gao
The Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Minmin Wang
Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Yueming Wang
Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; State Key Lab of CAD&CG, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Gang Pan
MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; State Key Lab of CAD&CG, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Corresponding authors at: Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Hsin-Yi Lai
The Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Corresponding authors at: Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Anna Wang Roe
The Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Corresponding authors at: Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Xiaotong Zhang
The Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Science and Brain-machine Integration, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Corresponding authors at: Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Objective: Blood-oxygen-level-dependent functional MRI allows to investigte neural activities and connectivity. While the non-human primate plays an essential role in neuroscience research, multimodal methods combining functional MRI with other neuroimaging and neuromodulation enable us to understand the brain network at multiple scales. Approach: In this study, a tight-fitting helmet-shape receive array with a single transmit loop for anesthetized macaque brain MRI at 7T was fabricated with four openings constructed in the coil housing to accommodate multimodal devices, and the coil performance was quantitatively evaluated and compared to a commercial knee coil. In addition, experiments over three macaques with infrared neural stimulation (INS), focused ultrasound stimulation (FUS), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) were conducted. Main results: The RF coil showed higher transmit efficiency, comparable homogeneity, improved SNR and enlarged signal coverage over the macaque brain. Infrared neural stimulation was applied to the amygdala in deep brain region, and activations in stimulation sites and connected sites were detected, with the connectivity consistent with anatomical information. Focused ultrasound stimulation was applied to the left visual cortex, and activations were acquired along the ultrasound traveling path, with all time course curves consistent with pre-designed paradigms. The existence of transcranial direct current stimulation electrodes brought no interference to the RF system, as evidenced through high-resolution MPRAGE structure images. Significance: This pilot study reveals the feasibility for brain investigation at multiple spatiotemporal scales, which may advance our understanding in dynamic brain networks.
