Functional MRI microscopy in ultra-low field

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25420406
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Measurement engineering
• Research Institution: Kinki University (2014-2015); Toyohashi University of Technology (2013)
• Principal Investigator: HATSUKADE Yoshimi 近畿大学, 工学部, 准教授 (90339713)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): TANAKA Saburo 豊橋技術科学大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (10271602) ; YOSHIDA Sachiko 豊橋技術科学大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 講師 (40222393)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 超低磁場 / NMR / MRI / SQUID / 磁場耐性 / ノイズ除去

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We aimed to develop an ultra-low-field (ULF) NMR/MRI system, which will be basis of functional MRI microscopy in the future. In this study, an ultra-sensitive SQUID magnetic sensor, which has extremely high sensitivity in low frequency range, which correspond to Larmor frequency in ULF, was used in the ULF NMR/MRI system. Using the system, we showed that the signal amplitude and line width of NMR signal in ULF increased and decreased with the static field intensity, respectively. Achievement of MRI in ULF was also demonstrated. We also studied possibility of realization of ULF NMR/MRI in normal environment, by combining robust SQUID and noise cancelling techniques.

Free Research Field

計測工学