Cerebellar imaging for neuroscience at 9.4 T

PURPOSE: This study explored the possibility of visualizing cerebellar structure and function in vivo with a 9.4 T protocol suitable for neuroscientific experiments.

METHODS: Six healthy individuals were scanned with a 9.4 T acquisition protocol including functional runs using BOLD-weighted 3D EPI at 0.8 and 0.0 mm isotropic resolution, and a 0.4 mm MP2RAGE covering the entire cerebellum to derive cerebellar cortical surfaces.

RESULTS: Scan sessions took approximately 1 h, a duration generally well tolerated in (cognitive) neuroscience experiments. A generalized B1 shim over the cerebellum provided sufficient contrast for gray-white matter segmentation and surface generation in all participants. A motor-task paradigm yielded consistent responses in both hemispheres in the posterior and anterior cerebellar lobes.

CONCLUSION: These experiments show that it is feasible to undertake neuroscientific experiments in the human cerebellum using 9.4 T MRI. The increased SNR and BOLD sensitivity benefit both structural and functional acquisitions and derivatives such as cortical surfaces generated from these data.