A Birdcage Volume Transmit coil and 8 Channel Receive Array for Marmoset Brain Imaging at 7T

Motivation: 7T promises a high SNR for high-resolution imaging of the small marmoset brain, which requires a custom RF coil. Goal(s): To develop a robust marmoset coil for 7T with an efficient volume transmit and receive array with a very high density and high filling factor. Approach: The coil was constructed, consisting of a volume transmit coil and receive array of 8 receive-only loops. The coil was tested with a phantom and a single anesthetized marmoset. Results: The transmit coil along with the optimized receive array for imaging the whole marmoset brain has been shown to produce images of high resolution and high SNR. Impact: A shielded, band-pass birdcage transmit coil was designed and fabricated for marmoset brain imaging at 7T. An 8-channel receive array consisting of eight overlapped loops covering the whole brain of the marmoset was also built and applied for signal reception.