How Georgia’s only 7T MRI reveals fresh insights into the brain

During the ribbon cutting for Health Sciences Research Building-II (HSRB-II), Ravi I. Thadhani, MD, MPH, Emory’s executive vice president for health affairs declared, “this building will facilitate breakthroughs and discoveries across the health sciences that will transform patient care and serve as a training ground for the next generation of clinicians and researchers.”

To help realize this vision, the new HSRB-II includes a 7 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. Emory University is the first institution in Georgia to provide researchers with access to this groundbreaking technology. In fact, only a handful of institutions in the entire U.S. have a 7 Tesla MRI (7T MRI).  

Housed within the Center for Systems Imaging (CSI), the 24-ton 7T MRI will supply researchers with higher-quality images and equip investigators with the tools they need to shift powerful discoveries into better health outcomes.

MRI imaging uses radio waves and a powerful magnet to create images of hard-to-see areas. The images provide researchers with a clear picture of an individual’s anatomy without subjecting them to surgeries, radiation, or other procedures that require long healing times.  

When an individual enters an MRI machine, a strong magnet aligns the hydrogen atoms in their body. Next, radio waves are used to shift the atoms’ alignment. As the radio waves are turned off, the hydrogen atoms return to their aligned state.  

The MRI scanner detects the changing position of the hydrogen atoms. Then the signals are sent to a computer that processes them and creates a detailed image of internal structures and organs.

The improved capabilities of the 7T MRI include higher resolution, enhanced tissue contrast, and more applications for imaging research.  

For example, the '7T' in '7T MRI' refers to the magnet's strength. Weighing 40 tons and measuring 11 feet long, the 7T magnet generates five times more energy than a typical MRI. Added energy creates a stronger magnetic field, enabling better magnification with higher resolution.  

Advanced imaging capabilities allow researchers to visualize tissue layers within the brain. They can render hyper-detailed pictures of the entire brain, down to small increments of just 400 microns. For reference, a typical human hair has a diameter of about 50 to 100 microns. Some researchers are even using the 7T MRI to monitor how tumors respond to treatment. 

Researchers equipped with a 7T MRI capture much more detailed images of sensitive inner components of the body, such as the microstructure of the brain. Better images help neuroscience researchers gain insights into the underlying mechanisms of diseases and help them engineer better therapies.  

Additional functionalities of the 7T MRI include creating electrograms with MRE technology and measuring brain metabolites using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).  

Metabolites are small molecules in the body and brain that serve as building blocks, energy sources, and messengers, playing a crucial role in various biological processes. They are the components that keep our bodies functioning and healthy. Researchers can use MRS scanning to identify fat, water, metabolites, neurotransmitters, and other molecules.

This is important because benign and malignant tumors have different concentrations of metabolites. An MRS scan is a useful tool in identifying the key indicators of a tumor’s metabolic activity and composition, signaling whether it's benign or malignant. Additionally, MRS can help study the concentration of neurotransmitters in the brain.  

While the 7T MRI is not yet being used as a tool in clinical application, several research projects are already benefiting from the 7T MRI including those led by Candace Fleischer, PhD, director of Emory’s Fleischer Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging Laboratory (BSIL) and associate professor in the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences. 

Fleischer uses MRS to find signs of inflammation in dangerous brain tumors and in individuals being treated for HIV. She is also using MRS to help create new methods for noninvasively checking brain temperature.

“Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allows us to measure chemicals inside the human brain in a completely non-invasive manner. This capability has enabled us to study changes in neurochemistry after a concussion or stroke, or in severe illness such as cancer,” says Fleischer.   

She adds, “MRS also facilitates measurement of brain temperature non-invasively, which we can use to understand the brain's response to thermal therapies such as cooling or heating, or temperature changes after injury. Brain temperature is a relatively understudied physiological parameter, but the consequences of even small increases can be severe.”  

"Our lab is focused on developing new tools and markers using advanced biomedical imaging to study both healthy and injured brains. The 7T MRI is instrumental to our goals.”

Emory University has always been on the forefront of innovation in imaging sciences. From the visionary contributions of Heinz Stephen Weens, MD, to the recent addition of the 7T MRI—the pioneering research at Emory fuels lifechanging discoveries.

In addition to the 7T MRI, the Integrated Core Facilities in HSRB-II are equipped with state-of-the-art technology including flow cytometry, high-level containment facilities, an automated biorepository, genomics and specialized facilities like A/BSL3 labs. HSRB-II connects clinicians and researchers with the tools they need to translate scientific discoveries into meaningful solutions. 

"This is an extraordinary facility and is a commitment to our belief in people and to the mission of Emory’s Woodruff Health Sciences,” remarks David Stephens, MD, vice president for research for Emory’s Woodruff Health Sciences Center. Adding, HSRB-II “represents the linkage and integration of core mission, scientific discovery and innovation to the enhancement of patient care.”