The human connectome project (HCP) relies primarily on three complementary magnetic resonance (MR) methods. These are: 1) resting state functional MR imaging (rfMRI) which uses correlations in the temporal fluctuations in an fMRI time series to deduce ‘functional connectivity’; 2) diffusion imaging (dMRI), which provides the input for tractography algorithms used for the reconstruction of the complex axonal fiber architecture; and 3) task based fMRI (tfMRI), which is employed to identify functional parcellation in the human brain in order to assist analyses of data obtained with the first two methods. We describe technical improvements and optimization of these methods as well as instrumental choices that impact speed of acquisition of fMRI and dMRI images at 3 Tesla, leading to whole brain coverage with 2 mm isotropic resolution in 0.7 second for fMRI, and 1.25 mm isotropic resolution dMRI data for tractography analysis with three-fold reduction in total data acquisition time. Ongoing technical developments and optimization for acquisition of similar data at 7 Tesla magnetic field are also presented, targeting higher resolution, specificity of functional imaging signals, mitigation of the inhomogeneous radio frequency (RF) fields and power deposition. Results demonstrate that overall, these approaches represent a significant advance in MR imaging of the human brain to investigate brain function and structure.

Purpose Higher SNR and improved contrast have been demonstrated at Ultra-high magnetic fields (≥7T) in multiple targets, often with multi-channel transmit B1+ methods to address the deleterious impact on tissue contrast due to spatial variations in B1+ profiles. When imaging the heart at 7T, however, respiratory and cardiac motion, as well as B0 inhomogeneity, greatly increase the methodological challenge. In this study we compare 2-spoke parallel transmit (pTX) RF pulses with static B1+ shimming in cardiac imaging at 7T. Methods Using a 16-channel pTX system, slice-selective 2-spoke pTX pulses and static B1+ shimming were applied in cardiac CINE imaging. B1+ and B0 mapping required modified cardiac triggered sequences. Excitation homogeneity and RF energy were compared in different imaging orientations. Results 2-spoke pulses provide higher excitation homogeneity than B1+ shimming, especially in the more challenging posterior region of the heart. The peak value of channel-wise RF energy was reduced, allowing for higher flip angle, hence increased tissue contrast. Image quality with 2-spoke excitation proved to be stable throughout the entire cardiac cycle. Conclusion 2-spoke pTX excitation has been successfully demonstrated in the human heart at 7T, with improved image quality and reduced RF pulse energy when compared to B1+ shimming.