Electrical properties tomography: a methodological review

Electrical properties tomography (EPT) is an imaging method that uses a magnetic resonance (MR) system to non-invasively determine the spatial distribution of the conductivity and permittivity of the imaged object. This manuscript starts by providing clear definitions about the data required for, and acquired in, EPT, followed by comprehensively formulating the physical equations underlying a large number of analytical EPT techniques. This thorough mathematical overview of EPT harmonizes several EPT techniques in a single type of formulation and gives insight into how they act on the data and what their data requirements are. Furthermore, the review describes machine learning-based algorithms. Matlab code of several differential and iterative integral methods is available upon request.Imaging- and therapeutic targets in neoplastic and musculoskeletal inflammatory diseas

Quantitative MR Imaging of the Electric Properties and Local SAR based on Improved RF Transmit Field Mapping

This work presents three new quantitative methods for magnetic resonance imaging. A method for simultaneous mapping of B1 and T1 (MTM) is developed and validated. Electric Properties Tomography (EPT), a method for quantitative imaging of dielectric properties of tissue, is presented. Based on EPT, separate (phase-based) conductivity and (amplitude-based) permittivity measurements are introduced. Finally, a B1-based method for patient-specific local SAR measurements is presented

Mathematical methods for magnetic resonance based electric properties tomography

Magnetic resonance-based electric properties tomography (MREPT) is a recent quantitative imaging technique that could provide useful additional information to the results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. Precisely, MREPT is a collective name that gathers all the techniques that elaborate the radiofrequency (RF) magnetic field B1 generated and measured by a MRI scanner in order to map the electric properties inside a human body. The range of uses of MREPT in clinical oncology, patient-specific treatment planning and MRI safety motivates the increasing scientific interest in its development. The main advantage of MREPT with respect to other techniques for electric properties imaging is the knowledge of the input field inside the examined body, which guarantees the possibility of achieving high-resolution. On the other hand, MREPT techniques rely on just the incomplete information that MRI scanners can measure of the RF magnetic field, typically limited to the transmit sensitivity B1+. In this thesis, the state of art is described in detail by analysing the whole bibliography of MREPT, started few years ago but already rich of contents. With reference to the advantages and drawbacks of each technique proposed for MREPT, the particular implementation based on the contrast source inversion method is selected as the most promising approach for MRI safety applications and is denoted by the symbol csiEPT. Motivated by this observation, a substantial part of the thesis is devoted to a thoroughly study of csiEPT. Precisely, a generalised framework based on a functional point of view is proposed for its implementation. In this way, it is possible to adapt csiEPT to various physical situations. In particular, an original formulation, specifically developed to take into account the effects of the conductive shield always employed in RF coils, shows how an accurate modelling of the measurement system leads to more precise estimations of the electric properties. In addition, a preliminary study for the uncertainty assessment of csiEPT, an imperative requirement in order to make the method reliable for in vivo applications, is performed. The uncertainty propagation through csiEPT is studied using the Monte Carlo method as prescribed by the Supplement 1 to GUM (Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement). The robustness of the method when measurements are performed by multi-channel TEM coils for parallel transmission confirms the eligibility of csiEPT for MRI safety applications

Targeting the Brain in Brain-Computer Interfacing: The Effect of Transcranial Current Stimulation and Control of a Physical Effector on Performance and Electrophysiology Underlying Noninvasive Brain-Computer Interfaces

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. July 2017. Major: Biomedical Engineering. Advisor: Bin He. 1 computer file (PDF); vii, 123 pages.Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and neuromodulation technologies have recently begun to fulfill their promises of restoring function, improving rehabilitation, and enhancing abilities and learning. However, lengthy user training to achieve acceptable accuracy is a barrier to BCI acceptance and use by patients and the general population. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation technology whereby a low level of electrical current is injected into the brain to alter neural activity and has been found to improve motor learning and task performance. A barrier to optimizing behavioral effects of tDCS is that we do not yet understand how neural networks are affected by stimulation and how stimulation interacts with ongoing endogenous activity. The purpose of this dissertation was to elucidate strategies to improve BCI control by targeting the user through two approaches: 1. Subject control of a robotic arm to enhance user motivation and 2. tDCS application to improve behavioral outcomes and alter networks underlying sensorimotor rhythm-based BCI performance. The primary results illustrate that targeted tDCS of the motor network interacts with task specific neural activity to improve BCI performance and alter neural electrophysiology. This effect on neural activity extended across the task network, beyond the area of direct stimulation, and altered connectivity unilaterally and bilaterally between frontal and parietal cortical regions. These findings suggest targeted neuromodulation interacts with endogenous neural activity and can be used to improve motor-cognitive task performance

Imaging Electrical Properties Using MRI and In Vivo Applications

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. November 2015. Major: Biomedical Engineering. Advisor: Bin He. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 137 pages.Electrical properties, namely conductivity and permittivity, describe the interaction of materials with the surrounding electromagnetic field. The electrical properties of biological tissue are associated with many fundamental aspects of tissue, such as cellular and molecular structure, ion concentration, cell membrane permeability, etc. Electrical properties of tissue in vivo can be used as biomarkers to characterize cancerous tissue or provide useful information in applications involving tissue and electromagnetic field. Among many related electrical-property imaging technologies, electrical properties tomography (EPT) is a promising one that noninvasively extracts the in vivo electrical properties with high spatial resolution based on measured B1 field using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this thesis, advanced EPT methods have been developed to improve the imaging quality of conventional EPT. First of all, a multi-channel EPT framework was introduced to release its dependency on a B1 phase assumption and expand its application under high field strength. Secondly, a gradient-based EPT (gEPT) approach was proposed and implemented, showing enhanced robustness against effect of measurement noise and improved performance near tissue boundaries. Using gEPT, high resolution in vivo electrical-property images of healthy human brain were obtained, and an imaging system for rat tumor models was also developed. As a result of malignancy, increased conductivity was captured in tumors using the in vivo animal imaging system. Thirdly, based on EPT theory, quantitative water proton density imaging was proposed using measured B1 field information, provide a new way for estimating water content in tissue for diagnostic and research purpose