Integrated 48-channel B0 shim, 6-Dipole transceive, and 16-loop receive system for high-quality NHP brain imaging at 7T

Motivation: Ultra-high field imaging of non-human primate (NHP) brains presents significant challenges, particularly in achieving high-resolution, whole-brain coverage with optimal B0 homogeneity and SNR. Goal(s): Develop an integrated system featuring a multi-coil shim array (MCA) and tailored RF coils for whole-brain imaging at 7T, specially designed for use with awake NHPs. Approach: A 48-channel SCOTCH-type MCA was designed for B0 inhomogeneity correction, and a 6-dipole transceive and 16-loop receive array was developed to integrate with the MCA for whole-brain imaging. Results: The system achieved substantial improvements in B0 homogeneity and SNR, enabling high-quality, artifact-minimized whole-brain imaging of NHPs at 7T. Impact: Our combined MCA B0 shim and RF antenna system improves B0 homogeneity and SNR, enabling clearer, artifact-reduced whole-brain imaging of NHPs at 7T. This setup opens new avenues for studying complex neural responses and fine-grained structures in NHPs.