POTS23-006654

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is one of the most impressive tools of modern medicine, allowing for the visualization of normal and pathological tissues in the body.  In no field has imaging impacted biomedical research more than in the study of the brain, in which MR allows one to visualize not only neural structures but also neural function.  The Neurophysiology Imaging Facility (NIF) is a centralized core facility that brings together a broad range of techniques to provide the most integrated and efficient study of brain physiology in nonhuman primates.  The NIF core facility is an intramural resource shared by three institutes at the NIH – NIMH, NINDS, and NEI. 

The NIF core staff, in collaboration with other researchers at NIH and other academic institutions, develops methodologies to obtain high resolution anatomical and awake behaving animal functional MRI data. Several such collaborations have yielded excellent data, resulting in the publication of several peer-reviewed papers over the past 5 years.  NIF facility is among a handful of sites in the world with this type of leading-edge setup dedicated to animal model mental health research.

As is typical with specialized advanced instrumentation, it is impossible to find ‘commercial off the shelf (COTS)’ equipment required for both animal preparation and experimental setup. To advance the research programs supported by NIMH, NINDS, and NEI, both the 3T and 7T scanner will need to be equipped with the latest innovation in RF probes (coils), namely multi-element phased array, which improve scan duration and signal to noise ratio. In combination with our existing Vector network analyzer owned by NIF, this allows connection to additional modified Siemens probes, and in-house made phased array receivers.

This vector network analyzer is designed for high performance multichannel phased array design and testing. Innovative developments in coil interface and scanning technology will vastly improve the quality of research data, thus impacting the scope and depth of research methodologies both current and future.  Such innovations are often the driving force behind new discoveries and scientific breakthroughs.

This acquisition is for a 4-port Vector network analyzer with 9 kHz to 4.5 GHz frequency range, at 1 Hz Resolution. Intermediate frequency Bandwidth (IFBW) 10 Hz~3 MHz, Dynamic Range 125 dB, Output Level Range -55 dBm ~ +10 dBm, and 12.1'' Touch screen. This capability is needed for high performance multichannel phased array MRI probe design and testing.