Duke Medical Imaging Research Creates 64 Million Times Sharper MRI Image

Researchers from the Duke Center for In Vivo Microscopy published an ultra-detailed MRI image this week that was generated using a 9.4 Tesla magnet and high-performance computing. The new imaging technique called light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) could improve the detail of human MRI imaging, improving how neurological conditions are diagnosed and treated.

The article published on Duke’s website explained how the team generated three-dimensional mice neurons and brain cells at nanoscale resolution by digitally slicing the brain into thin sections and mapping them back onto a model. The resulting images created a highly detailed brain image that researchers could explore without killing the test subject.

The mouse brain image that was created had voxels measuring just 5 microns, which is 64 million times smaller than the voxels created by clinical MRI machines.

“It is something that is truly enabling. We can start looking at neurodegenerative diseases in an entirely different way,” said G. Allan Johnson, PhD, the lead author of the new paper and the Charles E. Putman, University Distinguished professor of radiology, physics, and biomedical engineering at Duke.

The study’s authors described the technology as an incredibly powerful magnet operating with a set of gradient coils that are 100 times stronger than the type used in clinical MRIs. Resultant data were then analyzed by an advanced computer that researchers compared to 800 laptops working simultaneously.

The research has implications for understanding neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s that are difficult to study in live subjects. Using the high-powered MRI system, radiologists can study the microscopic structures of the brain and their deterioration over time. The images can also reveal brain-wide connectivity and show how regions are affected by the disease.

“Research supported by the National Institute of Aging uncovered that modest dietary and drug interventions can lead to animals living 25% longer,” Johnson said. “So, the question is, is their brain still intact during this extended lifespan? Could they still do crossword puzzles? Are they going to be able to do Sudoku even though they're living 25% longer? And we have the capacity now to look at it. And as we do so, we can translate that directly into the human condition.”

The technique developed over four decades is still in its early stages and not ready for clinical use. Still, researchers are optimistic that it could change the understanding of complex brain conditions.