Cranial metabolic MRI unveiled

CHICAGO, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- The first magnetic resonance imaging machine capable of imaging metabolic changes in the brain was unveiled at the University of Illinois at Chicago Tuesday.

The technology begins a new age of imaging that will help researchers understand the workings of the human brain, detect diseases before their clinical signs appear, develop targeted drug therapies for illnesses like stroke and provide a better understanding of learning disabilities.

Central to the technology is a 9.4-tesla magnet, larger than any other human-sized magnet, built by GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Co. A tesla is a large measuring unit of magnetic strength.

The current industry standard for MRI systems is 1.5 tesla, which limits researchers to imaging water molecules.

The new magnet will enable researchers to detect signals from sodium, phosphorus, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen -- the metabolic building blocks of brain function and human thought.

"This technological leap forward is as revolutionary to the medical community as the transition from radio to television was for society," said Dr. Keith Thulborn, director of the university's Center for Magnetic Resonance Research.