Zhentao Zuo1, 2, Joshua Park3, Yanxia Li1, Zhiguang Li1, Xinqiang Yan1, Zihao Zhang1, 2, Yan Zhuo1, Zang-Hee Cho3, Xiaohong Joe Zhou4, R
1Key Lab of Brain and Cognitive Science, Beijing MRI Center for Brain Research, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; 2Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; 3Neuroscience Research Institute, Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Korea; 4Depts. of Radiology, Neurosurgery and Bioengineering, Center for MR Research, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, United States
We have constructed an 8-channel phased-array transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) head coil at 7T. The new design gives a larger brain coverage compared to some commercially available 7T RF coils, and provides an unblocked visual field for fMRI experiments. The transmit B1 field uniformity has been improved by linearly adjusting the B1-field phase applied to each of the eight coil elements. Simulations of the local 1g SAR distribution shows that the novel coil can be operated within the IEC regulated limits.Results from the healthy human brain suggest that this coil design is beneficial for structural and functional imaging studies on the anterior temporal and cerebellum regions.