Abstract #3532

Microstructural Heterogeneity of Tissues Revealed by High-Resolution MR Microscopy at 15.2 T

Bibek Dhakal^1,2, Benjamin M. Hardy³, Adam W. Anderson^1,4,5, Mark D. Does^1,4,5, Junzhong Xu^1,2,4,5, and John C. Gore^1,2,4,5

¹Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States, ²Department of Physics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States, ³Remcom Inc, State College, PA, United States, ⁴Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States, ⁵Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States

Synopsis

Keywords: Microstructure, High-Field MRI, High-resolution, MR microscopy, Heterogeneity, Microstructure

Motivation: To identify the spatial limit of fast exchange on proton relaxation in excised tissues by measuring how relaxation rate depends on water content at different resolutions.

Goal(s): To map T₁ and M₀ variations within a section across resolutions using MR microscopy.

Approach: We employed a micro-coil, high magnetic field, strong gradients, and a fast pulse sequence method to map T₁ and M₀ at very high spatial resolution.

Results: High-resolution maps revealed significant heterogeneity of R₁ (=1/T₁) and M₀ beyond noise. The slope of R₁ v. M₀ also varied across resolutions, possibly indicating the breakdown of the fast exchange of spins within larger voxels.

Impact: The study offers insight into T₁ relaxation and spin exchange dynamics at the microscopic level.

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