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Ultra-High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Sodium in the Human Brain| old_uid | 14342 |
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| title | Ultra-High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Sodium in the Human Brain |
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| start_date | 2014/09/15 |
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| schedule | 11h |
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| online | no |
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| location_info | meeting room |
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| summary | Sodium is the second most abundant MR-observable nucleus in living tissue and it has a fundamental role in physiological and pathological processes. The sodium ion concentration in the intracellular compartment is about 12 mmol/L, while in the extracellular compartment it levels at about 140 mmol/L. This ionic gradient is regulated by the energy-dependent transmembrane Na+/K+/ATPase. In the healthy cell this enzyme goes through a conformational change upon binding with an intracellular, energy-supplying, ATP molecule. In this manner, three sodium ions are carried outside of the cell and two potassium ions are moved into the cell. An imbalance of this homeostasis is a sign of pathological processes, and is typically connected with diseased states. Therefore, a non-invasive measurement of sodium via MRI is desirable. Neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, and tumour are examples of processes that can be readily interpreted by the local concentration change of sodium. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of 23Na is, however, not straightforward. Being sodium a spin 3/2 nucleus means it has a large nuclear quadrupole moment and therefore has a fast relaxing component in restricted environments. Imaging of sodium requires special imaging strategies. In this talk, basic MR properties of the sodium nucleus as well as sequence requirements will be presented. Recent results of a comparative study of MR sequences carried out on a 9.4 Tesla whole-body scanner will be shown. High resolution sodium MR Images of the brain of a healthy volunteer acquired at 9.4 Tesla will be also presented. |
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| responsibles | Blancho |
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