Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides the opportunity of tracking cells in vivo. Major challenges in dissecting cells from the recipient tissue and signal sensitivity constraints albeit exist. In this study, we aimed to tackle these limitations in order to study inflammation in autoimmune encephalomyelitis. We constructed a very small dual-tunable radio frequency (RF) birdcage probe tailored for 19F (fluorine) and 1H (proton) MR mouse neuroimaging. The novel design eliminated the need for extra electrical components on the probe structure and afforded a uniform -field as well as good SNR. We employed fluorescently-tagged 19F nanoparticles and could study the dynamics of inflammatory cells between CNS and lymphatic system during development of encephalomyelitis, even within regions of the brain that are otherwise not easily visualized by conventional probes. 19F/1H MR Neuroimaging will allow us to study the nature of immune cell infiltration during brain inflammation over an extensive period of time.

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A novel intrinsically decoupled transmit and receive radio-frequency coil element is presented for applications in parallel imaging and parallel excitation techniques in high-field magnetic resonance imaging. Decoupling is achieved by a twofold strategy: during transmission elements are driven by current sources, while during signal reception resonant elements are switched to a high input impedance preamplifier. To avoid B0 distortions by magnetic impurities or DC currents a resonant transmission line is used to relocate electronic components from the vicinity of the imaged object. The performance of a four-element array for 3 T magnetic resonance tomograph is analyzed by means of simulation, measurements of electromagnetic fields and bench experiments. The feasibility of parallel acquisition and parallel excitation is demonstrated and compared to that of a conventional power source-driven array of equivalent geometry. Due to their intrinsic decoupling the current-controlled elements are ideal basic building blocks for multi-element transmit and receive arrays of flexible geometry.

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