title: Fast Room Temperature Very Low Field-Magnetic Resonance Imaging System Compatible with MagnetoEncephaloGraphy Environment.
abstract: In recent years, ultra-low field (ULF)-MRI is being given more and more attention, due to the possibility of integrating ULF-MRI and Magnetoencephalography (MEG) in the same device. Despite the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) reduction, there are several advantages to operating at ULF, including increased tissue contrast, reduced cost and weight of the scanners, the potential to image patients that are not compatible with clinical scanners, and the opportunity to integrate different imaging modalities. The majority of ULF-MRI systems are based, until now, on magnetic field pulsed techniques for increasing SNR, using SQUID based detectors with Larmor frequencies in the kHz range. Although promising results were recently obtained with such systems, it is an open question whether similar SNR and reduced acquisition time can be achieved with simpler devices. In this work a room-temperature, MEG-compatible very-low field (VLF)-MRI device working in the range of several hundred kHz without sample pre-polarization is presented. This preserves many advantages of ULF-MRI, but for equivalent imaging conditions and SNR we achieve reduced imaging time based on preliminary results using phantoms and ex-vivo rabbits heads.
authors.affiliation: MESVA, Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, L'Aquila University, Via Vetoio 10, Coppito, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.|Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, S.S. 17 bis km 18910, Assergi, L'Aquila 67010, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galante
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti 66100, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sinibaldi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti 66100, Italy.
authors.forename: Allegra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti 66100, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.affiliation: MESVA, Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, L'Aquila University, Via Vetoio 10, Coppito, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Catallo
authors.affiliation: ITA S.r.l., Zona Industriale di Pile, SS17, Località Boschetto, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sebastiani
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti 66100, Italy.|Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti 66100, Italy.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pizzella
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti 66100, Italy.|Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti 66100, Italy.
authors.forename: Gian Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Romani
authors.affiliation: ITA S.r.l., Zona Industriale di Pile, SS17, Località Boschetto, L'Aquila 67100, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonello
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sotgiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti 66100, Italy.|Institute of Advanced Biomedical Technologies, G. D'Annunzio" University, Chieti 66100, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Della Penna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D015225:Magnetoencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011817:Rabbits; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D013696:Temperature