Research focus
Magnetic Resonance Current Density Imaging (MRCDI) and Magnetic Resonance Electrical Impedance Tomography (MREIT) are tomographic imaging techniques used for imaging low frequency electrical conductivity properties of volume conductors to be investigated. In these techniques, electrical current is injected to the volume conductor by means of surface electrodes in synchrony with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pulse sequence. The z-component of magnetic flux density created by the injected current accumulates phase in magnetic resonance (MR) signal. Therefore, by post processing the MR phase images obtained with electrical current injection, injected current related magnetic flux density distributions can be measured. By using these measurements with specific reconstruction algorithms, electrical current density and conductivity distributions can be reconstructed.
Figure above: The MREIT technique.
Perspective
Electrical current density and conductivity imaging of the human brain is one of the most promising applications of MRCDI and MREIT. However, it is very difficult to probe the injected current to the inner parts of the brain since most of the current is shunted by the highly conductive skin and impeded by the highly resistive skin. In this project it is aimed to improve the MRCDI and MREIT reconstruction process for the brain by considering its physical structure. In order to achieve this goal, prior information obtained by structural MRI scans will be utilized in MRCDI and MREIT reconstruction processes. The improved current density and conductivity images will be used for accurate computational dose control of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS) of the human brain.
Scientific output
Find Hasan' publications at DTU's online research database ORBIT.
Funding
The project is funded by Lundbeck Foundation.
Project Period
November 2019 - November 2021.