title: Artifact correction in diffusion MRI of non-human primate brains on a clinical 3T scanner.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Smearing artifacts were observed and investigated in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies of macaque monkeys on a clinical whole-body 3T scanner.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four adult macaques were utilized to evaluate DTI artifacts. DTI images were acquired with a single-shot echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence using a parallel imaging technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The smearing artifacts observed on the diffusion-weighted images and fractional anisotropy maps were caused by the incomplete fat suppression due to the irregular macaque frontal skull geometry and anatomy. The artifact can be reduced substantially using a novel three-dimensional (3D) shimming procedure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The smearing artifacts observed on diffusion weighted images and fractional anisotropy (FA) maps of macaque brains can be reduced substantially using a robust 3D shimming approach. The DTI protocol combined with the shimming procedure could be a robust approach to examine brain connectivity and white matter integrity of non-human primates using a conventional clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: Yerkes Imaging Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.|Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: MR Division, Siemens Healthcare, Cary, NC, USA.
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kirsch
authors.affiliation: MR R&D Collaborations, Siemens Healthcare, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D038524:Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards / Q000662:veterinary*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards / Q000662:veterinary*; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology
keywords: GRAPPA; chemical shift artifact; diffusion tensor imaging; fat suppression; monkey; parallel imaging; susceptibility artifact