MRI SCANNER
The research imaging acquisition functions of the BIRC are performed by a Philips Achieva 3T X-series MRI system housed in a custom-designed MRI facility. The short
flared-bore magnet offers 50 cm field-of-view (FOV) imaging capability and Quasar dual gradient design with gradient magnitudes up to 80 mT/m and gradient switching speeds
(slew rates) up to 200 mT/m/ms. The FreeWave data acquisition system features 32-channel architecture. The BIRC uses an 8-channel phased array sense head coil for
optimized signal-to-noise, full brain imaging that features an open design for reduced claustrophobic reactions. An Advanced integrated RF body coil is also available. The
BIRC scanner room has three custom wave guides, in addition to the primary penetration panel, to permit the MR-shielded and non-ferromagnetic application of visual stimulus projection,
psychophysiological monitoring, and response acquisition devices. The adjacent control room permits constant visual and auditory contact with subjects in the scanner and contains the imaging control console and two additional computers to
manage study stimulus and recording demands. A wide range of MR imaging sequences are available to support T1, T2, T2*, diffusion tensor imaging, and magnetization transfer imaging.
Click here for MRI slideshow
IPAL and Server
The Image Processing and Analysis Lab (IPAL) houses three offices for faculty and senior staff, a large common room with
eight work station areas and conference table, a file storage/copy room, and a rest room.
The IPAL server architecture is based on a master node and four auxiliary/compute nodes
to support 32 simultaneous calculations. Servers are PowerEdge R710 2U running a Linux
Red Hat OS. Data storage and security utilizes SAN memory maintained by UAMS Central
IT.