First Images Of Human Brain Scanned By World's Most Powerful MRI Revealed
In the coming months, a new crop of healthy patients will be recruited to get their brains scanned. The machine will not be used on patients with conditions for several years.
The first-ever images of the human brain taken by the world's most powerful MRI scanner mark a significant milestone in the field of medical science, promising deeper insights into the complexities of our minds and the afflictions that affect them. And believe it or not, it all started with a winter squash!
Where did it all begin?
The machine first created scans of a pumpkin in 2021 | Credit: Unsplash/representational image
The go-ahead from authorities came much later; the machine first created scans of a pumpkin in 2021 thanks to the collective effort of
researchers at France's Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).
The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine¡ªlocated in the Plateau de Saclay area south of Paris¡ªhas already seen 20 healthy volunteers. Physicist Alexandre Vignaud, who is also working on the project, revealed, "We have seen a level of precision never reached before at CEA."
What makes this machine so unique?
The MRI machine uses a mammoth 11.7 teslas | Credit: AFP
And Vignaud has plenty of reasons to be excited. For context, the power used by regular MRIs does not exceed three teslas. But in this case, this MRI machine, nicknamed Iseult, uses a mammoth 11.7 teslas, resulting in images of the human brain with reportedly 10 times more precision.
"With this machine, we can see the tiny vessels which feed the cerebral cortex, or details of the cerebellum which were almost invisible until now,"
Vignaud
said.
How does the machine work?
The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine¡ªlocated in the Plateau de Saclay area south of Paris¡ªhas already seen 20 healthy volunteers | Credit: Unsplash/representational image
Within a cylindrical structure measuring five metres (equivalent to 16 feet) in both length and height, there resides a 132-ton magnet powered by a coil conducting a current of 1,500 amps. A three-foot opening lets humans in.
According to AFP, 'the design is the result of two decades of research by a partnership between French and German engineers.'
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