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MRI-based anatomical model of the human head for specific absorption rate mapping

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Abstract

In this study, we present a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based, high-resolution, numerical model of the head of a healthy human subject. In order to formulate the model, we performed quantitative volumetric segmentation on the human head, using T1-weighted MRI. The high spatial resolution used (1 × 1 × 1 mm3), allowed for the precise computation and visualization of a higher number of anatomical structures than provided by previous models. Furthermore, the high spatial resolution allowed us to study individual thin anatomical structures of clinical relevance not visible by the standard model currently adopted in computational bioelectromagnetics. When we computed the electromagnetic field and specific absorption rate (SAR) at 7 Tesla MRI using this high-resolution model, we were able to obtain a detailed visualization of such fine anatomical structures as the epidermis/dermis, bone structures, bone-marrow, white matter and nasal and eye structures.

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Acknowledgments

Preparation of this article was supported in part by grants from: The National Association for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) and the National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine NCAM (NM); the Fairway Trust and NIH grants NS34189 & EB005149 (DK); R01 EB002459 and P41 RR014075 (GB), and the MIND institute. The authors would like to thank the many people that kindly contributed to this project with discussions and useful insights, including Franz Schmitt, Franz Hebrank and Andreas Potthast (Siemens Medical Systems), CK Chou and Goga Bit Babik (Motorola Corporate EME), Chris Collins (Penn State), David Kaplan, Sergio Fantini, Peter Wong, and Mark Cronin-Golomb (Tufts University). We would like also to thank the colleagues at the A. Martinos Center, including Martjin Cloos, Graham Wiggins, Mary Foley, and Larry Wald for their help with the MRI images, and Mr. George Papadimitriou and Mr. James Howard and for their contributions to this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology and Radiology Services, Center for Morphometric Analysis, HST Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129, USA

    Nikos Makris, Seann Tulloch, Scott Sorg, Jonathan Kaiser & David Kennedy

  2. HST Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, 149 13th Street, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA

    Nikos Makris, Leonardo Angelone, David Kennedy & Giorgio Bonmassar

  3. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA

    Nikos Makris

  4. Biomedical Engineering Department, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA

    Leonardo Angelone

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  1. Nikos Makris
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  2. Leonardo Angelone
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  3. Seann Tulloch
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  4. Scott Sorg
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  5. Jonathan Kaiser
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  7. Giorgio Bonmassar
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Correspondence to Giorgio Bonmassar.

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N. Makris and L. Angelone contributed equally to this work.

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Makris, N., Angelone, L., Tulloch, S. et al. MRI-based anatomical model of the human head for specific absorption rate mapping. Med Biol Eng Comput 46, 1239–1251 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-008-0414-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-008-0414-z

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