The world's most powerful MRI scanner has produced its first images of human brains, with extraordinary levels of precision that have sparked hopes to unravel new details about the brain’s connection and activity.
The MRI machine, nicknamed Iseult, was first used by researchers at France's Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) to scan a pumpkin back in 2021. Encouragingly, the health authorities recently granted them permission to conduct scans on humans.
The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, which is located in the Plateau de Saclay area south of Paris, is home to numerous technology companies and universities. Over the past few months, around 20 healthy volunteers have entered the maw of the machine and their unprecedented anatomical images were obtained in just 4 minutes.
“We have seen a level of precision never reached before at CEA," revealed Alexandre Vignaud, a physicist who is also working on the project.
The magnetic field created by the MRI machine is a whopping 11.7 teslas, while the conventional MRI’s hardly exceed three teslas. This makes Iseult the world’s most powerful scanner. The unparalleled magnetic field allows the new machine to scan images of the human brain with 10 times more precision.
Vignaud compared images taken by this mighty scanner with those from a normal MRI on a computer screen. "With this machine, we can see the tiny vessels which feed the cerebral cortex or details of the cerebellum which were almost invisible until now," he said.
France's research minister Sylvie Retailleau, who is a physicist herself, said "The precision is hardly believable!"
The features of the machine
Inside a cylindrical structure that is five metres (16 feet) in length and height, the machine encases a 132-tonne magnet powered by a coil carrying a current of 1,500 amps. There is a 90-centimetre (three-foot) opening for humans to slide into.
The design stems from two decades of collaborative research between French and German engineers.
Scientists have already used MRIs to show the discrete regions of the cerebral cortex that become active when the brain recognizes particular things -- such as faces, places, or words. One of the main goals of employing such a powerful scanner is to refine our understanding of the anatomy of the brain and which areas are activated when it carries out particular tasks.
The project’s scientific director, Nicolas Boulant said “Harnessing the power of 11.7 teslas will help Iseult to better understand the relationship between the brain's structure and cognitive functions, for example when we read a book or carry out a mental calculation.”
With this advancement, the researchers hope to gain significant insights into the elusive mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Dr.Vineesha V/MSM)
