Researchers from France have scanned human brains with the world’s most powerful MRI machine for the first time. The MRI machine generates an 11.7-tesla magnetic field. It acquires brain images in about four minutes, compared to hours in MRI scanners commonly used in hospitals with 1.5 or 3 teslas of magnetic field. Figure 1 . Human brain images produced with different magnetic field intensities.
Source: CEA The powerful MRI machine can deliver images with ten times more precision than the standard MRI scanners (Figure 1). This machine can visualize tiny vessels in the cerebral cortex and details of the cerebellum. Further, it can detect weak signals of drugs and molecules, such as lithium, glucose, and glutamate. This MRI machine can revolutionize our understanding of the link between brain structure and cognitive functions. However, despite being designated solely for research,…
