The University of Iowa is requesting funds to upgrade our research dedicated 3T scanner (GE 750W) to a connectome level scanner (GE Signa Premier). The Signal Premier provides significant performance improvements in gradient performance (80 mT/m). The RF chain on the Signa Premier has also includes significant performance improvements. The RF sub-system on the Premier is based on Total Digital Imaging (TDI) and provides a 20% improvement in SNR over the 750W. The Signa Premier scanner will expand the number of receiver channels from 32 to 146. This is coupled with the new AIR coil design, which will provide new coils for neuro (48-channel head coil) and body imaging (16-channel anterior / 32-channel posterior array coil). Additional coils will provide significant upgrades for orthopeadic imaging. These technologies are coupled with new imaging pulse sequences for multi-band imaging, zero echo-time (ZTE), and prospective motion correction (PROMO). This upgrade will provide the performance necessary to upgrade our many neuroimaging studies to connectome level protocols. Several of these new capabilities have been evaluated and provided as pilot data in this application. The existing 3T scanner serves as a Core University Facility and is the only research dedicated scanner in the State of Iowa. The scanner currently supports 22 NIH funded grants awarded to 17 NIH funded investigators. The MR Research Facility (MRRF) and the research dedicated 3T scanner have supported investigators from 6 colleges and 15 departments across campus as well as from other state institutions (e.g. Iowa State University). This group of investigators is a highly productive group, which study a variety of diseases including: Huntington's, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, brain development, aging, Alzheimer's, cardiovascular, COPD, and cancer. The MRRF is an active research group who are undertaking the development of novel imaging sequences to support our large number of users. This includes novel imaging sequences to assess 1) brain connectivity, 2) brain function, 2) cardiac dynamics, 3) lung function, and 4) metabolism. These projects would significantly benefit from the proposed upgrade and provide future imaging capabilities for users of the scanner. There is strong institution commitment for this equipment. The 3T scanner is located in the $120 million recently completed Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building (PBDB) and the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging (IIBI), which includes the MRRF, was allocated 31,000 square feet of space in this building for human and animal imaging. In addition, the Department of Radiology and the IIBI have committed to hiring an additional MR physicist and to provide financial support for the MRRF in case user fees are unable to cover expenses for the facility. Finally, the recently formed Iowa Neurosciences Institute has committed to acquiring an MRI compatible rTMS system to be used with the scanner.
! This grant will support upgrading the research 3T MRI scanner at the University of Iowa. This upgrade will provide higher spatial and temporal imaging capabilities as well as improved image quality. This system supports 17 NIH funded investigators with 22 active NIH grants.
