Quantitative magnetization transfer imaging of the human locus coeruleus
Description
The aim of this study was to characterize the magnetization transfer (MT) effects in locus coeruleus (LC) imaging by applying high spatial resolution quantitative MT (qMT) imaging to create parametric maps of the macromolecular content of the LC and surrounding tissues. Healthy volunteers (n=26; sex=17F/9M; age range=20-72 years) underwent brain MRI on a 3.0 Tesla scanner. qMT data were acquired using a 3D MT-prepared spoiled gradient echo sequence. A traditional Neuromelanin (NM) scan consisting of a T1-weighted turbo spin echo sequence with MT preparation was also acquired. PSR was estimated for each voxel using a single-point qMT approach (Yarnykh VL, 2012, doi: 10.1002/mrm.23224). This repository includes the qMT datasets for the 26 participants. The dataset for each subject includes the following preprocessed images: - B0map.nii - B1map.nii - NM_2_qMT.nii (NM scan using 2D multislice TSE) - qMT_1pt_mc.nii (motion corrected qMT data) - qMT_2kHz.nii (MT-weighted image) - qMT_ref.nii (Reference image - No MT) - T1mfa.nii (multiple flip angle images to calculate the T1 map) All the above are coregistered to qMT_2kHz.nii. The dataset also includes the following processed images: - PSR_kba12p5.nii (PSR map) - T1obs.nii (T1 map) Matlab code required for data analysis has been posted at https://github.com/smithalexk/pulsed_qMT/tree/5ec63095c3b4e426a076b5730bffcab415df9c95 When using the code, please cite - Smith AK, et al., Neuroimage, 2014; doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.03.005 - Trujillo P, et al., Neuroradiology, 2017; doi: 10.1007/s00234-017-1911-2