Cerebellar imaging for neuroscience at 9. 4 T

Journal article

Purpose: This study explored the possibility of visualizing cerebellar structure and function in vivo with a 9.4 T protocol suitable for neuroscientific experiments. Methods: Six healthy individuals were scanned with a 9.4 T acquisition protocol including functional runs using BOLD‐weighted 3D EPI at 0.8 and 0.0 mm isotropic resolution, and a 0.4 mm MP2RAGE covering the entire cerebellum to derive cerebellar cortical surfaces. Results: Scan sessions took approximately 1 h, a duration generally well tolerated in (cognitive) neuroscience experiments. A generalized B1 shim over the cerebellum provided sufficient contrast for gray–white matter segmentation and surface generation in all participants. A motor‐task paradigm yielded consistent responses in both hemispheres in the posterior and anterior cerebellar lobes. Conclusion: These experiments show that it is feasible to undertake neuroscientific experiments in the human cerebellum using 9.4 T MRI. The increased SNR and BOLD sensitivity benefit both structural and functional acquisitions and derivatives such as cortical surfaces generated from these data.

Authors: van der Zwaag, W; Tse, DHY; Poser, BA; Priovoulos, N

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
• Publication date: 2025-06-28
• Acceptance date: 2025-05-21
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.30596
• EISSN: 1522-2594
• ISSN: 0740-3194
• Language: English
• Keywords: ultra‐high field; MP2RAGE; cerebellum; MRI; 3D EPI