Virtual Meetings

This Introduction to cardiovascular MRI is part of the new ISMRM Educational Lecture Series designed to engage early-career clinical and technical researchers interested in cardiovascular MR (CMR). The lecture series covers fundamental technical and clinical aspects of the most common CMR techniques, including definitions, technical challenges, artifacts, and clinical applications. This session will feature four talks followed by an open discussion with the presenters and moderators.

This virtual meeting will cover abstract basics, AI use in abstracts, and abstract categories, followed by a Q & A.

• First-time abstract submitters may not be familiar with structure of a scientific abstract, and ignoring the standard organization of an abstract may result in poor scores by reviewers. The first presentation will go over the typical structure of an abstract and discuss what should be included in an abstract.
• The widespread availability of large language models (LLM) has made text composition and editing much easier. Particularly, researchers who are less familiar in the language used for reporting find LLM-supported text translation particularly useful. However, there are many pitfalls that may have unintended consequences in abstract redaction. The second presentation will go over the appropriate use of AI in abstract writing.
• The last presentation will briefly go over the available categories, including new categories created for the 2027 meeting.
• Q&A

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in perfusion imaging applications and has the potential to achieve huge improvements in image quality, scan speed and the accuracy of automated image processing. However, there are also many challenges, including: generalisability across scanners, protocols and patient cohorts; access to sufficient training data; hallucinations within reconstructed images and the validation of performance metrics. In this session, we will showcase some novel AI applications in both non-contrast and contrast-enhanced perfusion imaging in the brain and body, outline some common pitfalls in AI-based image reconstruction, and discuss future opportunities and challenges in this field with our expert panel.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in perfusion imaging applications and has the potential to achieve huge improvements in image quality, scan speed and the accuracy of automated image processing. However, there are also many challenges, including: generalisability across scanners, protocols and patient cohorts; access to sufficient training data; hallucinations within reconstructed images and the validation of performance metrics. In this session, we will showcase some novel AI applications in both non-contrast and contrast-enhanced perfusion imaging in the brain and body, outline some common pitfalls in AI-based image reconstruction, and discuss future opportunities and challenges in this field with our expert panel.

This virtual meeting organized by the MRI of Neuromodulation Study Group highlights two cutting-edge technologies for MRI of neuromodulation: transcranial-focused ultrasound (FUS) and robotic transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with concurrent fMRI and EEG. Li Min Chen, M.D., Ph.D., will present her latest work on using low-intensity FUS modulation of the low-frequency local field potentials in the thalamus and insular cortex and single-unit spiking in the ventroposterior lateral (VPL) nucleus of macaque monkey, with concurrently evoked BOLD fMRI signals. Second, Chunlei Liu, Ph.D., will present his work on developing a robotic TMS system with concurrent fMRI and EEG recording to map brain network dynamics, with potential neuroscientific applications in sleep.

Molecular MRI aims to improve biological specificity by generating imaging signals that report on defined molecular and cellular events. This virtual meeting will present two emerging molecular MRI approaches for studying brain function. Yi Zhang, Ph.D., will describe CEST MRI combined with a dynamic signal model that accounts for BOLD contributions to generate glutamate-weighted activation maps during stimulation. Robert Ohlendorf, Ph.D., will describe photosensitized vasculature that acts as a biological transducer, converting bioluminescent reporter emission into localized hemodynamic signals detectable by MRI. Together, the metabolite-sensitive imaging and engineered vascular reporter approaches demonstrate how molecular MRI can link neurochemistry and cellular events to brain-scale imaging. The speakers will discuss the underlying principles, technical challenges, validation requirements, and future applications of these methods.

For this webinar, the first talk highlights the best strategies for MRI safety across different magnetic field strengths from low field to high field including safety around devices, an emerging consideration in paediatric patients. The second talk focuses on MR hardware considerations for image acquisition unique to pediatrics from fetal to perinatal to infant, young child, and adolescent, and ways to optimize signal-to-noise, contrast-to-noise, and artifact reduction. Faster acquisitions for feed and sleep techniques and to reduce the need for general anesthesia are explored.