Quantitative brain MRI at 7T in healthy subjects and in metabolic diseases

Ultra-high field 7 Tesla (7T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has considerable advantages over MRI scanners with lower magnetic field strength used in hospitals, for instance. Changes associated with ageing or illness can be detected sooner and more accurately by more detailed brain images. Different scan techniques allow the evaluation of various characteristics, such as brain anatomy and perfusion. The first part of this dissertation evaluates the quality and applicability of these images obtained by using some of the anatomic scan techniques in healthy subjects. In the second part, the same as well as other techniques are being used in patients with m.3243A>G mitochondrial DNA mutation. We demonstrated that the extent of changes in the brain is associated with the number of mutated mitochondria. Similarly, we collected images of people with Type 2 diabetes and described the potential of these images, combined with other data such as genetics, to contribute to better and timely treatment, or even prevention of cognitive deterioration.