Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring (Dec 2019)

European Ultrahigh‐Field Imaging Network for Neurodegenerative Diseases (EUFIND)

  • Emrah Düzel,
  • Julio Acosta‐Cabronero,
  • David Berron,
  • Geert Jan Biessels,
  • Isabella Björkman‐Burtscher,
  • Michel Bottlaender,
  • Richard Bowtell,
  • Mark v Buchem,
  • Arturo Cardenas‐Blanco,
  • Fawzi Boumezbeur,
  • Dennis Chan,
  • Stuart Clare,
  • Mauro Costagli,
  • Ludovic deRochefort,
  • Ariane Fillmer,
  • Penny Gowland,
  • Oskar Hansson,
  • Jeroen Hendrikse,
  • Oliver Kraff,
  • Mark E. Ladd,
  • Itamar Ronen,
  • Esben Petersen,
  • James B. Rowe,
  • Hartwig Siebner,
  • Tony Stoecker,
  • Sina Straub,
  • Michela Tosetti,
  • Kamil Uludag,
  • Alexandre Vignaud,
  • Jaco Zwanenburg,
  • Oliver Speck

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dadm.2019.04.010
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
pp. 538 – 549

Abstract

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Abstract Introduction The goal of European Ultrahigh‐Field Imaging Network in Neurodegenerative Diseases (EUFIND) is to identify opportunities and challenges of 7 Tesla (7T) MRI for clinical and research applications in neurodegeneration. EUFIND comprises 22 European and one US site, including over 50 MRI and dementia experts as well as neuroscientists. Methods EUFIND combined consensus workshops and data sharing for multisite analysis, focusing on 7 core topics: clinical applications/clinical research, highest resolution anatomy, functional imaging, vascular systems/vascular pathology, iron mapping and neuropathology detection, spectroscopy, and quality assurance. Across these topics, EUFIND considered standard operating procedures, safety, and multivendor harmonization. Results The clinical and research opportunities and challenges of 7T MRI in each subtopic are set out as a roadmap. Specific MRI sequences for each subtopic were implemented in a pilot study presented in this report. Results show that a large multisite 7T imaging network with highly advanced and harmonized imaging sequences is feasible and may enable future multicentre ultrahigh‐field MRI studies and clinical trials. Discussion The EUFIND network can be a major driver for advancing clinical neuroimaging research using 7T and for identifying use‐cases for clinical applications in neurodegeneration.

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