title: Modified human contrast sensitivity function based phase mask for susceptibility-weighted imaging.
abstract: The aim of the work is to increase the visual information in magnetic resonance imaging based susceptibility weighted images. Our approach is to amplify spatial frequency information of the phase mask used to increase susceptibility weighting using a modified version of the human contrast sensitivity function. Thereby, we propose a modified version of the human contrast sensitivity function for use in phase mask creation. Comparison with conventional susceptibility-weighted imaging was undertaken on a qualitative basis and quantitatively with a number of established image quality metrics on ex vivo mouse brain magnetic resonance images obtained at 16.4 T at various echo times. Four experts also compared the quality of in vivo 1.5 and 3 T human brain magnetic resonance images generated with traditional susceptibility weighted imaging and with the new method. We found that parameters of the modified human contrast sensitivity function can be chosen to improve delineation of structural detail of mouse and human brains. Information contained in susceptibility-weighted images generated using the modified human contrast sensitivity function based phase mask corresponds to that in the conventional method, however the visual range over which it is depicted has improved visual perception. Hence, qualitative evaluation of information contained in susceptibility-weighted images can be improved by amplifying spatial frequencies where human contrast sensitivity is reduced.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Wei-Hsin
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Reutens
authors.affiliation: School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Zhengyi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Giang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Viktor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vegh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D051379:Mice
keywords: Human contrast sensitivity function; Phase filtering; Phase mask; Susceptibility weighted imaging