ISMRM23 - Laminar Structure-Function Exploration of the Cerebral Cortex Using UHF

ISMRM & ISMRT Annual Meeting & Exhibition • 03-08 June 2023 • Toronto, ON, Canada

Laminar Structure-Function Exploration of the Cerebral Cortex Using UHF

Member-Initiated Symposium

Tuesday, 06 June 2023

716A/B

15:45 - 17:45

Moderators: Rebecca Glarin & Jun Hua

Session Number: MIST-04

No CME/CE Credit

Organizers: Marta Bianciardi, Rebecca Glarin & Jun Hua

Overview:
This symposium was proposed by the High Field Systems & Applications Study Group.

The ability to explore layer specific structural and functional properties in brain circuits is essential for neuroscience studies in healthy brains, as well as clinical studies attempting to understand the mechanisms of brain diseases. In hierarchically organized systems in the human brain, the distance between input and output layers of a given functional unit is mostly in the range of 1-2mm. Therefore, the sub-mm resolution MR imaging attainable using ultra-high fields (UHF) can provide detailed information beyond “conventional” macroscopic MRI, as it allows the detection of structural and functional signals at the mesoscopic spatial regime of cortical layers.

This MIS focuses on how high-resolution MRI can be used to study structural and functional changes relevant to various brain diseases. All major methods at UHF will be covered, including laminar structural MRI (R1, R2*), fMRI, and diffusion MRI. Applications will be presented in diseases, including a neurodegenerative disease: Huntington’s disease (HD); a movement disorder: focal hand dystonia (FHD); and an inflammatory disorder: multiple sclerosis (MS).

The topic of the MIS is well aligned with the core mission of the High Field Systems and Applications study group: to advance UHF applications and the technological solutions that enable them. The methods and applications covered in this MIS, however, will be of interest to a broader audience of ISMRM members, connecting basic scientists and clinical researchers.

Target Audience:
Researchers and clinicians interested in UHF methods and applications for studying cortical structural & functional properties in health and disease.

As a result of attending this course, participants should be able to:
- Describe various techniques (e.g., laminar structural MRI [R1, R2*], fMRI, and diffusion MRI) used to measure structural and functional properties of the cerebral cortex and how they benefit from UHF;
- Describe applications of laminar structural and functional MRI at UHF in the study of various brain diseases; and
- Describe the potential impact of laminar structural and functional MRI at UHF in the clinic.

15:45		Quantitative MRI Profiles Across Cortical Layers in Premanifest Huntington’s Disease Using 7T MRI at 600uM Resolution Mitsuko Nakajima University College London
16:10		Laminar/Columnar fMRI Alterations in Focal Hand Dystonia Patients Silvina Horovitz National Institutes of Health
16:35		Diffusion MRI of the Cortical Layers & Their Connections Yaniv Assaf Tel Aviv University
17:00		Imaging Cortical Pathology in Multiple Sclerosis Using UHF Quantitative MRI Celine Louapre ICM, Pitie Salpetriere Hospital