Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping of a Human Brain Using Ex-Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Quantitative susceptibility mapping, or QSM, quantifies the magnetic susceptibility of brain tissue, which reflects its cellular composition, like myelin content.

Begin by acquiring ex-vivo magnetic resonance imaging or MRI data of a fixed human brain hemisphere.

Use 3D gradient magnetic fields to magnetize the tissue and collect signals at multiple time points or echoes to reduce background noise and artifacts and enhance the signals.

Generate phase maps for all echoes, ensuring the removal of any artifacts caused by trapped air within the brain tissue.

Using appropriate MRI data processing tools, create a total field map of the hemisphere. 

Remove unwanted background magnetic fields while preserving the variations caused by tissue properties.

Generate a susceptibility map using specialized algorithms and suppress any streaking artifacts to quantify the brain's magnetic susceptibility.