Intended Use
The Bruker AVANCE III HD is a research instrument for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) developed to investigate non-biological samples or to perform in vivo studies with the aid of laboratory animals.
In MRI, the images are created that display the internal structure of the object under investigation in two or three dimensions. These images show the spatial distribution of the excited nuclei within the object. The contrast of the images depends primarily on a combination of the following parameters:
- Spin density
- Spin-lattice relaxation time T1
- Spin-spin relaxation time T2
- Flow
- Diffusion
- Chemical shift
In addition, the characteristics of the imaging sequence as well as the magnetic field strength are important parameters for the image contrast. MRI experiments with the aid of laboratory animals must always correspond to the current country-specific regulations.
In MRS, the volume under investigation is exposed to excitation by RF-pulses and the transient response signal of the nuclei is measured. After Fourier analysis, the frequency spectrum contains information about the molecular constitution of the substance under investigation. Dedicated methods allow investigating specific volumes of interests within the sample.
The MR instrument is controlled almost completely by Bruker’s ParaVision acquisition and reconstruction software.
Only trained personnel can derive morphological and/or physiological results, or draw conclusions about the chemical composition of the sample by selecting the appropriate parameters of the measurement method.
