MRIs work by using magnetic fields to spin protons in hydrogen atoms. However, more powerful magnets could also let investigators use protons in different elements, such as sodium or phosphorous.

Sodium imaging could, for instance, enable earlier diagnosis of joint disease, as it could be used to measure cartilage concentrations around the knee. But with current 3-T MRIs, sodium imaging's resolution is often poor, Magnotta said.


"It looks like a grainy picture. At 7-T, it's really going to sharpen that up and give you sufficient signal strength to use MRI for sodium imaging," he said.

Brain's pH

Magnotta also hopes a more powerful MRI could help his team with their research in an intriguing area: the connection between the brain's pH and some neurological disorders, such as epilepsy and even panic attacks.

"We know there are certain disorders in which brain pH changes," he said.

For instance, two years ago, University of Iowa researchers published an article in Cell that suggested that, in mice, sensitivity to dipping pH levels, or rising acidity, in a part of the brain after breathing carbon dioxide was linked to a fear response. This has implications for humans, too, as it's known that inhaling carbon dioxide is more likely to induce a panic attack in those who suffer from panic disorders, as compared to others.

Already, Magnotta's team has developed protocols to check brain pH with 3-T scanners. But by moving to 7-T, they hope to get higher spatial resolution and to be able to see dynamic brain pH changes, probably by using phosphorous spectroscopy.

"At 7-T, you'll be able to make more accurate measurements within regions of interest," he said.

For now though, Magnotta and his colleagues have to wait for the center to be built, and the new scanner to be installed. He said the equipment should arrive around when the center's wrapped up, as there's an 18-month lead time for construction of the magnet.

Back to HCB News

More Industry Headlines