Richard
D. Dortch1, 2, Adrienne N. Dula1, 2,
Ke Li1, 2, Jane A. Hirtle2, Catherine E.
Frame, 23, Pooja Gaur, 24, John C. Gore1,
2, Seth A. Smith1, 2
1Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; 2Institute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; 3Radiation Oncology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; 4Chemical and Physical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
Magnetization transfer (MT) imaging has been used to assess macromolecular content in the brain; yet, similar studies in the spinal cord have been limited. The difficulties associated with spinal cord imaging include high-resolution demands. Therefore, we have developed a novel protocol for high-resolution quantitative MT imaging of the human cervical spinal cord at 7 T. Data were collected in healthy volunteers via a selective inversion recovery sequence. Macromolecular to free proton pool size ratios were consistent with reported values at lower field strengths, suggesting that qMT imaging can be performed in the human cervical spinal cord at ultra-high field.