Biomedical subjects

David G Norris

Publications and source records attributed to David G Norris.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Continuous arterial spin labeling using a local magnetic field gradient coil.

Continuous arterial spin labeling (ASL) using a locally induced magnetic field gradient for adiabatic inversion of spins in the common carotid artery of human volunteers is demonstrated. The experimental setup consisted of a helmet resonator for imaging, a circular RF surface coil for labeling, and gradient loops to produce a magnetic field gradient. A spin-echo (SE) echo-planar imaging (EPI) sequence was used for imaging. The approach is independent of the gradients of the MR scanner. This technology may be used if the imaging gradient system does not produce an appropriate magnetic field gradient at the location of the carotid artery-for example, in a head-only scanner-and is a prerequisite for the development of a system that allows continuous labeling during the imaging experiment.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

An investigation of the value of spin-echo-based fMRI using a Stroop color-word matching task and EPI at 3 T.

This study examines the value of spin-echo-based fMRI for cognitive studies at the main magnetic field strength of 3 T using a spin-echo EPI (SE-EPI) sequence and a Stroop color-word matching task. SE-EPI has the potential advantage over conventional gradient-echo EPI (GE-EPI) that signal losses caused by dephasing through the slice are not present, and hence although image distortion will be the same as for an equivalent GE-EPI sequence, signal voids will be eliminated. The functional contrast in SE-EPI will be lower than for GE-EPI, as static dephasing effects do not contribute. As an auxiliary experiment interleaved diffusion-weighted and non-diffusion-weighted SE-EPI was performed in the visual cortex to further elucidate the mechanims of functional contrast. In the Stroop experiment activation was detected in all areas previously found using GE-EPI. Additional frontopolar and ventral frontomedian activations were also found, which could not be detected using GE-EPI. The experiments from visual cortex indicated that at 3 T the BOLD signal change has contributions from the extravascular space and larger blood vessels in roughly equal amounts. In comparison with GE-EPI the absence of static dephasing effects would seem to result in a superior intrinsic spatial resolution. In conclusion the sensitivity of SE-EPI at 3 T is sufficient to make it the method of choice for fMR studies that require a high degree of spatial localization or where the requirement is to detect activation in regions affected by strong susceptibility gradients.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

An investigation of functional and anatomical connectivity using magnetic resonance imaging.

This article examines functional and anatomical connectivity in healthy human subjects measured with magnetic resonance imaging methods. Anatomical connectivity in white matter is obtained from measurements of the diffusion tensor. A Monte-Carlo simulation determines the probability that a particle diffuses between two points, with the probability of a jump in a particular direction from a given voxel being based on the local value of the diffusion tensor components. Functional connectivity between grey matter pixels is assessed without recourse to a specific activation paradigm, by calculating the correlation coefficient between random fluctuations in the blood oxygenation level-dependent signal time course in different pixels. The methods are used to examine the anatomical and functional connectivities between crowns of adjacent gyri. A high functional connectivity was found between grey matter pixels, with white matter displaying only very low correlation. A comparison of the measurements of anatomical and functional connectivity found that there is no simple correlation between these measures, except that low values of functional connectivity were not found together with high values of anatomical connectivity. Furthermore pairs of regions situated around the central sulcus indicated a dependence of the two connectivity measures on each other. These results are in accordance with an interpretation that regions which are clearly directly linked by white matter fiber tracts should show high functional connectivity, but that the inverse need not be true as functional connectivity may also be indirectly mediated via more distant grey matter regions.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2002

Single-shot curved slice imaging.

The feasibility of imaging a curved slice with a single-shot technique so that the reconstructed image shows an un-warping of the slice is examined. This could be of practical importance when the anatomical structures of interest can be more efficiently covered with curved slices than with a series of flat planes. One possible example of such a structure is the cortex of the human brain. Functional imaging would especially benefit from this technique because several planar images can be replaced by a few curved slice images. A method is introduced that is based on multidimensional pulses to excite the desired curved slice profile. A GRASE imaging sequence is then applied that is tailored to the k-space representation of the curved slice. This makes it possible to capture the in-plane information of the slice with a single-shot technique. The method presented is limited to slices that are straight along one axis and can be approximated by a polygon. Reconstruction is performed using a simple numeric Fourier integration along the curved slice. This leads to an image that shows the desired un-warped representation of the slice. Experimental results obtained with this method from healthy volunteers are presented and demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technique.

Brain↗