Bloch Equation Simulations Research Articles

Phase-based T2 mapping with gradient echo imaging.

Transverse relaxation time (T2 ) mapping with MRI has a plethora of clinical and research applications. Current T2 mapping techniques are based primarily on spin-echo (SE) relaxometry strategies that rely on the signal magnitude, and often suffer from lengthy acquisition times. In this work, we propose a phase-based T2 mapping technique where T2 information is encoded into the signal phase of rapid gradient echo (GRE) acquisitions. Bloch equation simulations demonstrate that the phase of GRE acquisitions obtained with a very small inter-repetition RF phase increment has a strong monotonic dependence on T2 , resulting from coherent transverse magnetization. This T2 -dependent phase behavior forms the basis of the proposed T2 mapping technique. To isolate T2 -dependent phase from background phase, at least 2 data sets with different RF phase increments are acquired. The proposed method can also be combined with chemical shift encoded MRI to separate water and fat signals. The feasibility of the proposed technique was validated in a phantom experiment. In vivo feasibility was demonstrated in the brain, knee, abdomen, and pelvis. Comparisons were made with SE-based T2 mapping, spectroscopy, and T2 values from the literature. The proposed method produced accurate T2 maps compared with SE-based T2 mapping in the phantom. Good qualitative agreement was observed in vivo between the proposed method and the reference. T2 measured in various anatomies agreed well with values reported in the literature. A phase-based T2 mapping technique was developed and its feasibility demonstrated in phantoms and in vivo.

SnapMRF: GPU-accelerated magnetic resonance fingerprinting dictionary generation and matching using extended phase graphs

Purpose:Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) is a state-of-the-art quantitative MRI technique with a computationally demanding reconstruction process, the accuracy of which depends on the accuracy of the signal model employed. Having a fast, validated, open-source MRF reconstruction would improve the dependability and accuracy of clinical applications of MRF. Methods:We parallelized both dictionary generation and signal matching on the GPU by splitting the simulation and matching of dictionary atoms across threads. Signal generation was modeled using both Bloch equation simulation and the extended phase graph (EPG) formalism. Unit tests were implemented to ensure correctness. The new package, snapMRF, was tested with a calibration phantom and an in vivo brain. Results:Compared with other online open-source packages, dictionary generation was accelerated by 10–1000× and signal matching by 10–100×. On a calibration phantom, T1 and T2 values were measured with relative errors that were nearly identical to those from existing packages when using the same sequence and dictionary configuration, but errors were much lower when using variable sequences that snapMRF supports but that competitors do not. Conclusion:Our open-source package snapMRF was significantly faster and retrieved accurate parameters, possibly enabling real-time parameter map generation for small dictionaries. Further refinements to the acquisition scheme and dictionary setup could improve quantitative accuracy.

Machine Learning for Rapid Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting Tissue Property Quantification.

Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) is an MRI-based method that can provide quantitative maps of multiple tissue properties simultaneously from a single rapid acquisition. Tissue property maps are generated by matching the complex signal evolutions collected at the scanner to a dictionary of signals derived using Bloch equation simulations. However, in some circumstances, the process of dictionary generation and signal matching can be time-consuming, reducing the utility of this technique. Recently, several groups have proposed using machine learning to accelerate the extraction of quantitative maps from MRF data. This article will provide an overview of current research that combines MRF and machine learning, as well as present original research demonstrating how machine learning can speed up dictionary generation for cardiac MRF.

Accurate, precise, simultaneous myocardial T1 and T2 mapping using a radial sequence with inversion recovery and T2 preparation.

We propose a simultaneous myocardial T1 and T2 mapping technique using a radial sequence with inversion recovery and T2 preparation, which achieves high accuracy and precision, with T1 and T2 reproducibility similar to the Modified Look-Locker Inversion recovery (MOLLI) sequence and the conventional bright blood T2 mapping technique, respectively. The sequence was developed by incorporating gold angle radial fast low angle shot (FLASH) readout combined with an inversion pulse and T2prep pulses. The extended Bloch equation simulation with slice profile correction (BLESSPC) algorithm was proposed to reconstruct T1 and T2 maps at the same time in a few seconds, while maintaining good T1 and T2 estimation accuracy. Accuracy and precision were compared among the proposed technique, MOLLI and conventional T2 mapping techniques using phantom studies, 10 healthy volunteers and three patients. In phantom studies, the proposed technique was more accurate than MOLLI (P<0.05) while achieving similar precision (P=0.3) in T1 estimation, and was more accurate (P<0.05) and precise (P<0.001) than conventional T2 mapping (two-parameter fitting) in T2 estimation. In vivo, the proposed technique achieved significantly higher T1 values (P<0.001) and similar reproducibility (P=0.3) compared with MOLLI, with significantly lower T2 values (P<0.001) and similar reproducibility (P=0.6) compared with the conventional T2 mapping technique. Thus, the proposed radial T1-T2 mapping technique allows for accurate, precise, simultaneous myocardial T1 and T2 mapping in an 11-heartbeat single breath-hold acquisition.

TRASE 1D sequence performance in imperfect B1 fields.

Transmit Array Spatial Encoding (TRASE) is an MRI technique that uses radio-frequency (RF) magnetic field (B1) phase gradients for spatial encoding. A TRASE pulse sequence consists of a long echo train in which each echo samples a different k-space point. Due to the need for accurate refocusing, TRASE imaging performance depends on |B1| homogeneity. Although the CPMG echo train is often relied on to provide immunity against B1 flip angle errors, this does not apply to TRASE echo trains. Due to the spatially dependent B1 phases involved in TRASE imaging, the CPMG condition, where all spins flip about the y-axis in the rotating frame, can only be achieved at one single location within the sample. Moreover, CPMG only preserves one component of the transverse magnetization, the y-component, whereas TRASE requires both components to be retained. Here we investigate the performance of a set of variants of a 1-dimensional (1D) TRASE sequence under conditions of |B1| errors. We varied the B1 transmit pulse RF waveform phases in an effort to optimize the TRASE imaging point spread function (PSF). The performance of 256 sequence variants, including those previously reported in the literature was studied. Both Bloch equation simulations and experimental confirmations were completed. Off-resonance (B0 inhomogeneity) effects were not considered so that the effects of B1 inhomogeneity alone could be understood. Results show that, using optimum transmit pulse phases, high quality image encoding is achievable over ∼90% of the Nyquist field-of-view (FOV) for a practically realizable variation in B1 amplitude (Δ|B1|⩽±11%). This improves significantly upon the performance of a previously-reported sequence which generated ∼75% usable FOV within the Nyquist FOV.

Rapid framework for quantitative magnetization transfer imaging with interslice magnetization transfer and dictionary-driven fitting approaches.

To develop a rapid framework for quantitative magnetization transfer (qMT) imaging based on the 2D interslice MT and dictionary-driven fitting approaches. Sequential balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) scanning was performed on a whole human brain in a total of 12 conditions from six different interslice gaps and two different flip angles. To obtain qMT maps, the acquired 12 datasets were fitted to a dictionary predefined by using Bloch equation simulations based on the two-pool MT model. The proposed qMT method was compared to the conventional qMT methods, in terms of qMT parameter maps and processing time. The proposed method yielded qMT maps similar to those of the conventional method, indicating feasibility of modulating MT saturation frequency and power with the interslice gap and flip angle. The whole-brain qMT imaging could be completed in 8min because of the absence of separate MT pulses. The time for processing qMT parameters was significantly reduced through the dictionary-driven approach; it is 1000 times shorter than that without the dictionary-driven approach and 3 times shorter than that with the spoiled gradient recalled echo-qMT method that uses an analytical solution. The proposed dictionary-driven interslice qMT imaging provides qMT maps close to those from the conventional method with significantly reduced scan time and postprocessing time, which can make qMT imaging more clinically acceptable.

Simultaneous multislice cardiac magnetic resonance fingerprinting using low rank reconstruction.

This study introduces a technique for simultaneous multislice (SMS) cardiac magnetic resonance fingerprinting (cMRF), which improves the slice coverage when quantifying myocardial T1, T2 , and M0 . The single-slice cMRF pulse sequence was modified to use multiband (MB) RF pulses for SMS imaging. Different RF phase schedules were used to excite each slice, similar to POMP or CAIPIRINHA, which imparts tissues with a distinguishable and slice-specific magnetization evolution over time. Because of the high net acceleration factor (R=48 in plane combined with the slice acceleration), images were first reconstructed with a low rank technique before matching data to a dictionary of signal timecourses generated by a Bloch equation simulation. The proposed method was tested in simulations with a numerical relaxation phantom. Phantom and in vivo cardiac scans of 10 healthy volunteers were also performed at 3T. With single-slice acquisitions, the mean relaxation times obtained using the low rank cMRF reconstruction agree with reference values. The low rank method improves the precision in T1 and T2 for both single-slice and SMS cMRF, and it enables the acquisition of maps with fewer artifacts when using SMS cMRF at higher MB factors. With this technique, in vivo cardiac maps were acquired from three slices simultaneously during a breathhold lasting 16 heartbeats. SMS cMRF improves the efficiency and slice coverage of myocardial T1 and T2 mapping compared with both single-slice cMRF and conventional cardiac mapping sequences. Thus, this technique is a first step toward whole-heart simultaneous T1 and T2 quantification with cMRF.

Acceleration of vessel-selective dynamic MR Angiography by pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling in combination with Acquisition of ConTRol and labEled images in the Same Shot (ACTRESS).

PurposeThe recently introduced “Acquisition of ConTRol and labEled imaging in the Same Shot” (ACTRESS) approach was designed to halve the scan time of arterial spin labeling (ASL) ‐based 4D‐MRA by obtaining both labeled and control images in a single Look‐Locker readout. However, application for vessel‐selective labeling remains difficult. The aim of this study was to achieve a combination of ACTRESS and vessel‐selective labeling to halve the scan time of vessel‐selective 4D‐MRA.MethodsBy Bloch equation simulations, Look‐Locker pseudocontinuous‐ASL (pCASL) was optimized to achieve constant static tissue signal across the multidelay readout, which is essential for the ACTRESS approach. Additionally, a new subtraction scheme was proposed to achieve visualization of the inflow phase even when labeled blood will have already arrived in the distal arteries during the first phase acquisition due to the long duration of the pCASL labeling module. In vivo studies were performed to investigate the signal variation of the static tissue, as well as to assess image quality of vessel‐selective 4D‐MRA with ACTRESS.ResultsIn in vivo studies, the mean signal variation of the static tissue was 8.98% over the Look‐Locker phases, thereby minimizing the elevation of background signal. This allowed visualization of peripheral arteries and slowly arriving arterial blood with image quality as good as conventional pCASL within half the acquisition time. Vessel‐selective pCASL‐ACTRESS enabled the separated visualization of vessels arising from internal and external carotid arteries within this shortened acquisition time.ConclusionBy combining vessel‐selective pCASL and ACTRESS approach, 4D‐MRA of a single targeted arterial tree was achieved in a few minutes.

Single breath-hold 3D cardiac T1 mapping using through-time spiral GRAPPA.

The quantification of cardiac T1 relaxation time holds great potential for the detection of various cardiac diseases. However, as a result of both cardiac and respiratory motion, only one two-dimensional T1 map can be acquired in one breath-hold with most current techniques, which limits its application for whole heart evaluation in routine clinical practice. In this study, an electrocardiogram (ECG)-triggered three-dimensional Look-Locker method was developed for cardiac T1 measurement. Fast three-dimensional data acquisition was achieved with a spoiled gradient-echo sequence in combination with a stack-of-spirals trajectory and through-time non-Cartesian generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisition (GRAPPA) acceleration. The effects of different magnetic resonance parameters on T1 quantification with the proposed technique were first examined by simulating data acquisition and T1 map reconstruction using Bloch equation simulations. Accuracy was evaluated in studies with both phantoms and healthy subjects. These results showed that there was close agreement between the proposed technique and the reference method for a large range of T1 values in phantom experiments. In vivo studies further demonstrated that rapid cardiac T1 mapping for 12 three-dimensional partitions (spatial resolution, 2×2×8mm3 ) could be achieved in a single breath-hold of ~12s. The mean T1 values of myocardial tissue and blood obtained from normal volunteers at 3T were 1311±66 and 1890±159ms, respectively. In conclusion, a three-dimensional T1 mapping technique was developed using a non-Cartesian parallel imaging method, which enables fast and accurate T1 mapping of cardiac tissues in a single short breath-hold.

A minimum-phase Shinnar-Le Roux spectral-spatial excitation RF pulse for simultaneous water and lipid suppression in 1H-MRSI of body extremities

PurposeTo develop a spectral-spatial (SPSP) excitation RF pulse for simultaneous water and lipid suppression in proton (1H) magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) of body extremities. MethodsAn SPSP excitation pulse is designed to excite Creatine (Cr) and Choline (Cho) metabolite signals while suppressing the overwhelming water and lipid signals. The SPSP pulse is designed using a recently proposed multidimensional Shinnar-Le Roux (SLR) RF pulse design method. A minimum-phase spectral selectivity profile is used to minimize signal loss from T2⁎ decay. ResultsThe performance of the SPSP pulse is evaluated via Bloch equation simulations and phantom experiments. The feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated using three-dimensional, short repetition-time, free induction decay-based 1H-MRSI in the thigh muscle at 3T. ConclusionThe proposed SPSP excitation pulse is useful for simultaneous water and lipid suppression. The proposed method enables new applications of high-resolution 1H-MRSI in body extremities.

T2 selective π Echo-Planar Imaging for porous media MRI

The π Echo Planar Imaging (PEPI) method has recently been modified to permit proton density imaging of fluids in porous media with moderate T2 and short T2∗ signal components. In many applications, it is desirable to discriminate multiple T2 components within each image voxel. T2 selective imaging is explored in this paper through adiabatic inversion as a magnetization preparation with PEPI readout. When prior information of the sample relaxation times is known, responses of different species to broadband adiabatic inversion pulses can be predicted by Bloch equation simulation. Different relaxation components can be acquired by combining the images with and without inversion preparation pulses.T2 weighting can be easily introduced in the PEPI sequence by shifting the spatial encoding gradients based on its spin echo nature. T2 decay curves can be extracted for each image voxel from a series of T2 weighted images and spatially resolved T2 distributions can be generated. This method is reliable but slow. The two methods were implemented to image porous media samples with PEPI the common basis of spatial resolution. The results of both methods agree remarkably well.

Investigation of control scans in pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL): Strategies for improving sensitivity and reliability of pCASL.

To investigate the performance of control scans in pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) and propose strategies for improving sensitivity and reliability of pCASL. The labeling efficiencies of pCASL with conventional control scan and distal control scan were investigated at various radiofrequency (RF) duration/spacing of 0.5/1-2/4 ms, mean slice-selection gradients (GSS ) of 1 and 0 mT/m, and total labeling durations of 1.5-3 s, through Bloch equation simulations and in vivo experiments. In addition, the feasibility of three-dimensional (3D) pCASL with the distal control scan and control scan with no RF preparation was demonstrated in a wide brain area, by suppressing the magnetization transfer (MT) effects with high GSS while maintaining the GSS /mean GSS ratio. The distal control scan provided pCASL signals approximately 40% higher and more robust to variations in the labeling conditions than those from the conventional control scan. The distal and no RF control scans with high GSS provided uniform pCASL signals in approximately 8-cm-thick imaging region with MT contributions <10% of the perfusion signals. pCASL perfusion signals can be enhanced (∼40%) and become more stable by using the distal or no RF control scan, which can be applied in a wide area by increasing GSS while maintaining GSS /mean GSS . Magn Reson Med 78:917-929, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Single and double acquisition strategies for compensation of artifacts from eddy current and transient oscillation in balanced steady-state free precession.

To develop single and double acquisition methods to compensate for artifacts from eddy currents and transient oscillations in balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) with centric phase-encoding (PE) order for magnetization-prepared bSSFP imaging. A single and four different double acquisition methods were developed and evaluated with Bloch equation simulations, phantom/in vivo experiments, and quantitative analyses. For the single acquisition method, multiple PE groups, each of which was composed of N linearly changing PE lines, were ordered in a pseudocentric manner for optimal contrast and minimal signal fluctuations. Double acquisition methods used complex averaging of two images that had opposite artifact patterns from different acquisition orders or from different numbers of dummy scans. Simulation results showed high sensitivity of eddy-current and transient-oscillation artifacts to off-resonance frequency and PE schemes. The artifacts were reduced with the PE-grouping with N values from 3 to 8, similar to or better than the conventional pairing scheme of N = 2. The proposed double acquisition methods removed the remaining artifacts significantly. The proposed methods conserved detailed structures in magnetization transfer imaging well, compared with the conventional methods. The proposed single and double acquisition methods can be useful for artifact-free magnetization-prepared bSSFP imaging with desired contrast and minimized dummy scans. Magn Reson Med 78:254-263, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Magnetization transfer imaging of cortical bone in vivo using a zero echo time sequence in mice at 4.7T: a feasibility study.

To investigate the feasibility of magnetization transfer (MT) imaging in mice in vivo for the assessment of cortical bone. MT-zero echo time data were acquired at 4.7T in six mice using MT preparation pulses with two different flip angles (FAs) and a series of ten different off-resonance frequencies (500-15000Hz). Regions of interest were drawn at multiple levels of the femoral cortical bone. The MT ratio (MTR) was computed for each combination of FAs and off-resonance frequencies. T1 measurements were used to estimate the direct saturation (DS) using a Bloch equation simulation. Estimation of the absorption line width of cortical bone from T2* measurements was also performed. MTR values were higher using 3000° FA than 1000° FA. MTR values decreased toward higher off-resonance frequencies. Maximum mean MTR±standard deviation (SD) of 58.57±5.22 (range 50.44-70.61) was measured with a preparation pulse of 3000° and off-resonance frequency of 500Hz. Maximum "true" MT effect was estimated at around 2-3 and 5kHz, respectively, for 1000° and 3000° FA. Mean full width at half maximum ± SD of 577±91Hz was calculated for the absorption spectral line of the cortical bone. MT imaging can be used for the assessment of cortical bone in mice in vivo. DS effects are negligible using preparation pulses with off-resonance frequencies greater than 3kHz.

TU‐H‐206‐06: B1 Inhomogeneity Correction for Measuring T1 From DCE MRI

Purpose:3D MRI sequences typically used in DCE MRI suffer from B1 inhomogeneities associated with the slab‐selective RF pulse. B1 inhomogeneities affect the calculation of tissue T1 often used to solve the two‐compartment model. Previously, the inhomogeneities were corrected based on Bloch equation simulations of the RF pulse. However, the RF pulse specification may not be readily available or the simulation may not represent the actual scan conditions. The objective of this work was to directly measure B1 inhomogeneities and apply an inhomogeneity correction to minimize quantification errors in T1 fitting.Methods:We used a 3D GRE sequence with varied flip angles (2–30°) to measure T1‐weighted signals in phantoms at 3 T on a Siemens mMR. 2D EPI B1 maps were acquired to measure the B1 inhomogeneity associated with the RF coils. Inversion recovery T1 maps were acquired for ground truth. Two B1 inhomogeneity correction methods were compared: 1) A 3D segmented EPI sequence measured the RF slab selective excitation profile; and 2) The T1's of phantom standards were used to normalize the 3D GRE images.Results:Only the central 1/3 of the 3D GRE slices yielded accurate T1 values without correction. The slice profiles measured with 3D EPI were consistent between measurements made with different flip angles. The two correction approaches resulted in similar T1 values for at least 2/3 of the slices. Approach 2 yielded more slices with values comparable to the ground truth. However, Approach 1 resulted in less error than Approach 2 for the upper 2/3 of the slices.Conclusion:Using a phantom standard with a short T1 allowed us to shorten the acquisition time of the 3D EPI sequence to less than 1 minute or increase spatial resolution. The B1 inhomogeneity correction technique requires further testing in vivo for DCE MRI studies.

Magnetization Transfer MR Imaging to Monitor Muscle Tissue Formation during Myogenic in Vivo Differentiation of Muscle Precursor Cells.

Purpose To determine whether magnetization transfer (MT) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging may serve as a quantitative measure of the degree of fiber formation during differentiation of muscle precursor cells into engineered muscle tissue as a potential noninvasive monitoring tool in mice. Materials and Methods The study was approved by the local ethics committee (no. StV 01/2008) and the local Veterinary Office (license no. 99/2013). Human muscle progenitor cells (hMPCs) derived from rectus abdominis muscles were subcutaneously injected into CD-1 nude mice (CD-1 nude mice, Crl:CD1-Foxn1nu; Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, Mass) for development of muscle tissue. The mice underwent MR imaging examinations at 4.7 T at days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after cell transplantation by using a gradient-echo sequence with an MT prepulse and systematic variation of the off-resonance frequency (50-37 500 Hz) at an amplitude of 800°. Direct saturation was estimated from a Bloch equation simulation. The MT ratio (MTR) was correlated to immunohistochemistry findings, Western blot results, and results of myography. Data were analyzed by using one-way or two-way analysis of variance with the Sidak or Tukey multiple comparisons test. Results In the reference skeletal muscle, highest MT was found for 2500 Hz off-resonance frequency with an MTR ± standard deviation of 57.5% ± 3.5. The developing muscle tissue exhibited increasing MT values during the 28 days of myogenic in vivo differentiation and did not reach the values of native skeletal muscle. Mean values of MTR (2500 Hz) for hMPCs were 27.6% ± 6.3 (day 1), 24.7% ± 8.7 (day 3), 28.2% ± 5.7 (day 7), 35.9% ± 5.0 (day 14), 37.0% ± 7.9 (day 21), and 39.9% ± 8.1 (day 28). The results from MT MR imaging correlated qualitatively well with muscle tissue expression of specific skeletal markers, as well as muscle contractility. Conclusion MT MR imaging may be used to noninvasively monitor the process of myogenic in vivo differentiation of hMPCs as a biomarker of the quantity and quality of muscle fiber formation. © RSNA, 2016 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

Characterization of T1 bias in skeletal muscle from fat in MOLLI and SASHA pulse sequences: Quantitative fat-fraction imaging with T1 mapping.

To characterize the effects of fat on commonly used T1 mapping sequences and evaluate a new method of quantitative fat fraction (FF) imaging for low fractions based on the modulation of T1 values by the fat pool. Bloch equation simulations and phantom and in vivo (skeletal muscle) experiments were used to characterize the response of the modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) and saturation recovery single-shot acquisition (SASHA) T1 mapping sequences to fat-water systems with known FFs (0%-10%) at 1.5T. FFs were measured with single voxel spectroscopy and Dixon imaging methods. A new T1 -based FF imaging method was evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations and phantom and in vivo experiments. SASHA and MOLLI had similar T1 dependence on FF, with characteristic under- or overestimation of T1 values as a function of off-resonance frequency (30-70 ms variation in native T1 per 1% FF). FF maps generated from the SASHA method yielded a low variability of ±0.25% for a signal-to-noise ratio of 150:1 in the nonsaturation image, with good agreement with spectroscopy and a performance that is superior to that of Dixon methods at low FFs. Fat results in negative or positive shifts in native tissue T1 measured with MOLLI and SASHA over a narrow range of off-resonance frequencies; T1 shifts from fat can be used to accurately quantify FF. Magn Reson Med 77:237-249, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dark-resonance Doppler cooling and high fluorescence in trapped Ca-43 ions at intermediate magnetic field

We demonstrate simple and robust methods for Doppler cooling and obtaining high fluorescence from trapped 43Ca+ ions at a magnetic field of 146 Gauss. This field gives access to a magnetic-field-independent ‘atomic clock’ qubit transition within the ground level hyperfine structure of the ion, but also causes the complex internal structure of the 64 states relevant to Doppler cooling to be spread over many times the atomic transition line-width. Using a time-dependent optical Bloch equation simulation of the system we develop a simple scheme to Doppler-cool the ion on a two-photon dark resonance, which is robust to typical experimental variations in laser intensities, detunings and polarizations. We experimentally demonstrate cooling to a temperature of 0.3 mK, slightly below the Doppler limit for the corresponding two-level system, and then use Raman sideband laser cooling to cool further to the ground states of the ion’s radial motional modes. These methods will enable two-qubit entangling gates with this ion, which is one of the most promising qubits so far developed.

On the accuracy and precision of cardiac magnetic resonance T2 mapping: A high-resolution radial study using adiabatic T2 preparation at 3 T.

The goal of this study was to characterize the accuracy and precision of cardiac T2 mapping as a function of different factors including low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), imaging in systole, and off-resonance frequencies. Bloch equation and Monte Carlo simulations were used to determine the influence of SNR and the choice of T2 preparation echo time (TET2prep ) increments on the accuracy and precision of high-resolution radial cardiac T2 mapping at 3.0 T. Healthy volunteers were scanned to establish the difference in precision and inter- and intraobserver variability between T2 mapping in diastole and systole, as well as the effect of SNR and off-resonance frequencies on the accuracy of T2 maps. The simulations demonstrated that a TET2prep increment of ∼0.75 times the T2 value of interest optimally increases the precision of the T2 fit. Systolic T2 maps were found to have a higher precision (P = 0.002), but similar inter- and intraobserver variability compared with diastolic T2 maps, whereas off-resonance frequencies beyond ± 100 Hz cause a significant decrease in both accuracy and precision (P < 0.05). This evaluation of the accuracy and precision of cardiac T2 mapping characterizes the major vulnerabilities of the technique and will help guide protocol definition of studies that include T2 mapping. Magn Reson Med 77:159-169, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A comprehensive study of sensitivity in measuring oscillatory magnetic fields using rotary saturation pulse sequences

Detecting the oscillatory currents with a specific frequency distribution may have the potential to make neuronal current MRI (ncMRI) come true. The phase shift or dephasing induced by both positive and negative episodes of oscillatory neuronal currents is likely to be canceled out over the echo time in typical BOLD-contrast fMRI experiments. Based on the contrast of rotary saturation, both of the recently developed spin-locked oscillatory excitation (SLOE) and stimulus-induced rotary saturation (SIRS) pulse sequences have been demonstrated to be able to detect weak oscillatory magnetic fields in phantoms with 3T MR scanners. In this report, through Bloch equation simulation as well as water phantom and anesthetic rats experiments, we comprehensively evaluate and compare the sensitivities of these two methods (SLOE and SIRS) in detecting the oscillatory magnetic fields for both high (100Hz) and low (10Hz) oscillation frequencies, while using their respective optimal imaging parameters. In agreement with the theoretical predications, both the simulated and experimental results showed that the SLOE method features a much higher detection sensitivity of weak magnetic fields than that of the SIRS method. SLOE was able to detect applied oscillatory magnetic fields as low as 0.1nT in a water phantom and 0.5nT in rat brains and the deteriorated noise levels in rat data may account for the reduced sensitivity in vivo. These promising results form the foundation for direct detection of in vivo neuronal currents using MRI.