Journal
QUANTITATIVE IMAGING IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY
Volume 10, Issue 7, Pages 1441-1449Publisher
AME PUBL CO
DOI: 10.21037/qims-19-1057
Keywords
Low-field MRI; magnetization transfer; cross-relaxation; macromolecular proton fraction; myelin
Funding
- Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation [18.2583.2017/4.6]
- Russian Foundation for Basic Research grant [19-29-10015]
- Russian Science Foundation [19-75-20142]
- United States National Institutes of Health High-Impact Neuroscience Research Resource grant [R24NS104098]
- Russian Science Foundation [19-75-20142] Funding Source: Russian Science Foundation
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Fast single- point macromolecular proton fraction (MPF) mapping is a recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method enabling quantitative assessment of myelin content in neural tissues. To date, the reported technical implementations of MPF mapping utilized high-field MRI equipment (1.5 T or higher), while low-field applications might pose challenges due to signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) limitations and short T-1. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of MPF mapping of the human brain at 0.5 T. The three-dimensional MPF mapping protocol was implemented according to the single-point syntheticreference method, which includes three spoiled gradient-echo sequences providing proton density, T1, and magnetization transfer contrast weightings. Whole-brain MPF maps were obtained from three healthy volunteers with spatial resolution of 1.5x1.5x2 mm(3) and the total scan time of 19 minutes. MPF values were measured in a series of white and gray matter structures and compared with literature data for 3 T magnetic field. MPF maps enabled high contrast between white and gray matter with notable insensitivity to paramagnetic effects in iron-rich structures, such as globus pallidus, substantia nigra, and dentate nucleus. MPF values at 0.5 T appeared in close agreement with those at 3 T. This study demonstrates the feasibility of fast MPF mapping with low-field MRI equipment and the independence of brain MPF values of magnetic field. The presented results confirm the utility of MPF as an absolute scale for MRI-based myelin content measurements across a wide range of magnetic field strengths and extend the applicability of fast MPF mapping to inexpensive low-field MRI hardware.
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