Information obtained by this technique
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a potent and versatile, non-invasive imaging technique which yields structural (anatomical) as well as functional images of (parts of) the human body. This is achieved by combining a strong magnetic field with radiofrequency pulses.
CAT-AgroFood offers the use of a state-of-the-art high-field MRI scanner (3T Siemens Magnetom Verio). This MRI scanner can be used for (clinical) diagnostics as well as fundamental or applied research. All body parts can be visualised in 3D or even 4D (3D in time). Dedicated coils are available for various body parts.
Technical details
Applications
Complementary techniques
Publications
Technical details
3T Siemens Magnetom Verio including various coils such as 8- and 32-channel head coil, body/spine, knee, ankle, wrist and endo-rectal coils.
Applications
Specialised clinical diagnostics is for instance used for oncology and research into Crohn’s disease. Diagnostics currently performed on the 3T MRI include, but are not limited to:
- MRCP, MRI biliary duct
- MRA, MRI vascular system
- MRI shoulder including arthrography
- MRI hip
- MRI hand/wrist
- MRI foot/ankle
- MRI small intestine
Current applications of MRI for fundamental or applied research by researchers of Wageningen UR and the ‘Alliantie Voeding’ include, but are not limited to:
- Soft tissue anatomy, in particular of the brain and the abdomen.
- Body fat distribution (total % body fat, visceral adipose tissue) obtained from structural (T1-weighted) images or fat-selective techniques; see Fig. 1.
- Brain responses (functional MRI), in particular brain responses to food cues like pictures of foods, taste and smell; see Fig. 2. For this application, complementary equipment – as described below - is required.
- Brain perfusion / blood flow (Cerebral Blood Flow, CBF), a measure of brain activity. This is measured by means of Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL), i.e., without the use of magnetic contrast agents.
- Determination of liver fat percentage by water-fat separation with the so-called Dixon technique or MR Spectroscopy (MRS).
- Determination of muscle fat content.
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| Fig 1. fat distribution in abdomen |
Fig 2. brain responses |
Complementary techniques
There are several facilities for administering different types of stimuli or tasks:
- Visual stimulus presentation (via back-projection) from our stimulus PC or a laptop. This enables one to have subjects perform different tasks while being scanned. E.g., neuropsychological tasks, reward tasks, product evaluation, product choice. In addition several MRI-compatible (optical) button boxes are available, among others for obtaining subjective ratings (VAS scores) or reaction times.
- A computer-controlled gustometer equipped with 8 programmable syringe pumps for accurate and controlled administration of taste stimuli.
- A state-of-the-art 8-channel olfactometer (Burghart) for accurate and controlled administration of odours.
The above mentioned facilities can be used in conjunction with the MRI, depending on your specific wishes.
Publications
- P.A.M. Smeets, P. Weijzen, C. de Graaf, M.A. Viergever, "Consumption of caloric and non-caloric versions of a soft drink differentially affects brain activation during tasting", NeuroImage, 2011, vol. 54, pp. 1367-1374.
- M.S. Spetter, P.A.M. Smeets, C. de Graaf, M.A. Viergever, "Representation of sweet and salty taste intensity in the brain", Chemical Senses, 2010, vol. 35, pp. 831-840.
- L.N. van der Laan, D.T.D. de Ridder, M.A. Viergever, P.A.M. Smeets, "The first taste is always with the eyes: A meta-analysis on the neural correlates of visual food cues.", NeuroImage, 2011, vol. 55, pp. 296-303.
