9.4 Tesla MRI

The 9.4 Tesla (400 MHz proton frequency) MRI scanner consists of a 21 cm diameter horizontal bore magnet (Magnex Scientific) interfaced to a Bruker Avance III console with ParaVision 6.0 operating software. The system is capable of multinuclear MR imaging and spectroscopy of small animals (rats and mice) and is equipped with 4 receive channels allowing for the use of phased array receive coils. Capabilities include high-quality, high resolution, anatomical and functional imaging using a wide variety of contrast mechanisms (T1, T2, diffusion, perfusion), together with multi-shot 2D and 3D sequences, single-shot EPI, Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) sequences, Ultrashort Echo Time (UTE) sequences, localized NMR spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging.

Gradient Coils:

• Bruker B-GA12S gradient coil capable of 440 mT/m (12 cm i.d.)
• Resonance Research gradient coil insert capable of 1500 mT/m (6 cm i.d.).

Radio-Frequency Coils:
A wide range of RF transmit/receive volume coils with different inner diameters as well as phased array and surface receive coils are available for use.

Volume Transmit-Receive Coils

• 87 mm i.d. transmit/receive quadrature bird-cage coil (Bruker Biospin)
• 60 mm i.d. transmit/receive quadrature bird-cage coil (Bruker Biospin)
• Mouse brain transmit/receive bird-cage coil (20 mm i.d.)
• Mouse body transmit/receive quadrature bird-cage coil (34 mm i.d.)

Receive Surface Coils

• Mouse brain 4-channel phased array receive coil (Bruker Biospin)
• Mouse spine 4-channel phased array receive coil (Bruker Biospin)
• Rat brain 4-channel phased array receive coil (Bruker Biospin)

Physiological Monitoring Equipment (SA Instruments, Inc):

• Cardiac gating
• Respiratory gating
• Thermal regulation