Abstract
Objectives
The recently reported inhomogeneous magnetization transfer technique (ihMT) has been proposed for specific imaging of inhomogeneously broadened lines, and has shown great promise for characterizing myelinated tissues. The ihMT contrast is obtained by subtracting magnetization transfer images obtained with simultaneous saturation at positive and negative frequency offsets (dual frequency saturation experiment, MT +/−) from those obtained with single frequency saturation (MT +) at the same total power. Hence, ihMT may be biased by MT-asymmetry, especially at ultra-high magnetic field. Use of the average of single positive and negative frequency offset saturation MT images, i.e., (MT ++MT −) has been proposed to correct the ihMT signal from MT-asymmetry signal.
Materials and methods
The efficiency of this correction method was experimentally assessed in this study, performed at 11.75 T on mice. Quantitative corrected ihMT and MT-asymmetry ratios (ihMTR and MTRasym) were measured in mouse brain structures for several MT-asymmetry magnitudes and different saturation parameter sets.
Results
Our results indicated a “safe” range of magnitudes (/MTRasym/<4 %) for which MT-asymmetry signal did not bias the corrected ihMT signal. Moreover, experimental evidence of the different natures of both MT-asymmetry and inhomogeneous MT contrasts were provided. In particular, non-zero ihMT ratios were obtained at zero MTRasym values.
Conclusion
MTRasym is not a confounding factor for ihMT quantification, even at ultra-high field, as long as MTRasym is restricted to ±4 %.
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Acknowledgments
V.P. received support from IRME and the A*MIDEX grant (n°ANR-11-IDEX-0001-02) funded by the French Government “Investissements d’Avenir” program.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.
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Animal studies were conducted in agreement with the French guidelines for animal care from the French Department of Agriculture (Animal Rights Division), the European Council Directive 86/609/EEC of 24 November 1986, and approved by our institutional committee on ethics in animal research.
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Valentin H. Prevost and Olivier M. Girard have contributed equally to this work.
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Prevost, V.H., Girard, O.M., Varma, G. et al. Minimizing the effects of magnetization transfer asymmetry on inhomogeneous magnetization transfer (ihMT) at ultra-high magnetic field (11.75 T). Magn Reson Mater Phy 29, 699–709 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-015-0523-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-015-0523-2