Comparison of quantitative T1 and T2 brain imaging using 3D MR Fingerprinting at 0.55T, 3T, and 7T

Motivation: How different magnetic-field-strengths affect the quality and quantitative T1 and T2 values of MR Fingerprinting in human brain. Goal(s): To assess the viability of MRF for quantitative T1 and T2 brain mapping across different field-strengths and to evaluate the effects of the field-strength on T1 and T2 values in brain substructures. Approach: One healthy volunteer was scanned on three scanners using 3D optimized spiral-projection-imaging (SPI) MRF. The main brain substructures were segmented, and quantitative T1 and T2 values were analyzed and compared. Results: All T1 and T2 images obtained from 3D SPI-MRF show clinical acceptable image quality with artifact-free within reasonable scan time. Impact: This preliminary study highlights the robustness of the novel 3D SPI-MRF with optimized protocols various field strengths and presents a potential direction for developing a general model to map quantitative data across field strengths for broader healthcare applications.