Mesoscale Myelin Water Fraction Mapping at 3T with Self-navigated Motion Correction

Motivation: Relaxometry and myelin water quantification at high resolution is crucial for understanding neurodevelopment. Deployment of these encoding-intensive techniques at mesoscale resolutions is hampered by motion and prolonged scans. Goal(s): To develop a T1, T2, and myelin water fraction (MWF) mapping technique at mesoscale resolution with self-navigated motion correction at 3T. Approach: 3D-QALAS sequence was extended to include a short-TE T2-preparation module to boost sensitivity to myelin, and motion information extracted from a tailored sampling trajectory from each TR is then incorporated into the reconstruction's forward model. Results: An 8.1min motion-robust acquisition at 790um resolution was demonstrated with high fidelity at 3T. Impact: We propose MWF-QALAS for simultaneous mapping of T1, T2, and myelin water fraction (MWF) with self-navigated motion correction for high-fidelity multi-parametric mapping on a 3T system at the mesoscale resolution of 790 um isotropic within 8.1 minutes.