This entry brought to you courtesy of Wired Science :o)
The world’s most powerful MRI machine used on humans packs a 45-ton magnet that generates a 9.4-Tesla magnetic field.
If you’re counting Teslas at home — which are a standard measure of magnetic force — that’s stronger than the magnets in the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider. (Of course, there are thousands of LHC magnets.)
Instead of using that power to accelerate particles, the MRI machine, located at the University of Illinois, Chicago, is used to peer into the human brain. And it’s already yielding new insights.
With the ultrapowerful MRI, the scientists can measure sodium concentration, oxygen consumption and the brain cells’ energy usage. When combined, the three “bioscales” provide a detailed picture of tissue health within the brain, possibly allowing scientists to pinpoint neurodegenerative disease long before symptoms show up.
Only four of the 9.4-Tesla machines exist. The MRI machine that your favorite local linebacker gets plunked into packs a measly three Tesla. A refrigerator magnet generates a magnetic field of about 0.05 Tesla strength.
“Without this magnet we wouldn’t have gotten this far so fast,” said Keith Thulborn, director of the UIC Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, in a press release. “It would have taken years and years to develop the insight and understanding to overcome the hurdles using the more widely available 3-T diagnostic MRI.”
Though the 9.4-Tesla magnet is strong, it’s nowhere near the record for a manmade continuous magnetic field of 45 Teslas. Even levitating a mouse takes a 17-Tesla magnetic field.
That is so cool. I am looking forward for this. Cause I am getting old and with my history of boozing and over the conner medications, I am concern about my brain. However did you mention mouse levitation? You mean they can actually raise a mouse from the ground? Does it hurt the mouse? can you explain?
ReplyDeleteNot really very portable, but very cool nonetheless! :) This should help us move toward non-invasive diagnostic techniques in medicine, which is way cool.
ReplyDeleteAmazing how far this technology is coming...
ReplyDeletebe well...
Amazing...they can measure sodium concentration and oxygen consumption? Wow. And I have to click through on the levitating mouse link! Must know....
ReplyDeleteI don't want no testas pokin' around in my brain. I know what's in there and I don't want it magnetized or levitated.
ReplyDeleteD