The IMAGINE Center offers a unique set of MRI data acquisition systems to meet the challenges associated with pediatric imaging:

• Siemens Cima.X 3T MRI. The Siemens MAGNETOM Cima.X system, which is the most powerful, versatile 3T MRI and the first to be installed in Canada, enables the acquisition of multimodal MRI data, including functional MRI, diffusion MRI, and spectroscopy.
• Specific Sequences. In addition to standard acquisition protocols, the IMAGINE Center will provide users with internally developed protocols. To ensure the acquisition of the highest quality MRI images, experts at IMAGINE Center are developing and validating new MRI protocols optimized for different ages and conditions over the course of development.
• MRI Gradients. The use of powerful gradients of the MRI machine, with given technical specifications, allows for faster and higher resolution imaging, especially in the context of diffusion imaging protocols and functional MRI.
• MRI Antenna. The MRI machine at the Center guarantees the acquisition of images in very preterm infants thanks to an antenna specifically dedicated and designed by our researchers to be compatible with the Siemens system. Furthermore, 16, 32, and 64-channel head coils are available with accompanying sequences and processing pipelines.
• SREE Medical Cocoon for Newborns. CHU Sainte-Justine, which has several research projects in neonatology, has extensive experience in the transport and imaging acquisition of very preterm infants in safe conditions, thanks in part to the use of a SREE Medical incubator transport system, specially designed to ensure the safe transport of newborns to the scanner.
• High-Resolution fMRI: Centre IMAGINE is equipped with advanced fMRI equipment featuring a 40-inch 4K LCD monitor. Integrating virtual reality and eye-tracking, this setup enables immersive and precise studies of the pediatric brain, opening new avenues for research on neurological development and early psychiatric disorders.
• Audio System: The OptoACTIVE-III Two Way Noise Cancellation fMRI Communication System provides a secure and calming experience for young patients with its advanced noise cancellation capabilities, reducing MRI noise by over 40 dB. It ensures clear and uninterrupted audio presentation of auditory stimuli during MRI sessions, essential for maintaining a serene and engaging environment for our young subjects.

The IMAGINE Center aims to make the unique expertise of the Centre de recherche Azrieli du CHU Sainte-Justine in electroencephalography (EEG) and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) imaging available to a broader set of researchers by hosting the following equipment:

• ActiCHamps64 Plus EEG System, Brain Products. A portable and versatile system that allows for the acquisition of EEG data simultaneously with other neuroimaging systems such as NIRS, as well as other physiological signals (oximetry, blood pressure, respiration). Being a portable system (up to 8 hours of battery life without electrical connection), it enables data acquisition protocols not only in the laboratory but also in natural environments (in care settings, on the ward, in observation rooms, at home, etc.) with two 64-channel amplification modules.
• NIRSport2 32-32 NIRS System, NIRx. A portable system with EEG-compatible optodes (32 light sources and 32 detectors) for acquisition protocols in both laboratory and natural environments (up to 6 hours of battery life without electrical connection).
• EEG Hyperscanning. Thanks to the two 64-channel amplification modules of the EEG system, the IMAGINE Center offers the possibility to use an EEG system up to 128 channels, to increase the precision of localization results, but also to acquire EEG from two people simultaneously.
• NIRS Hyperscanning. Two 32x32 NIRS acquisition devices allow for the recording of brain activity via NIRS in groups of two to four people simultaneously.
• EEG-NIRS Hyperscanning. This system offers the possibility to carry out EEG-NIRS hyperscanning protocols using 32 EEG channels, 32 light sources, and 32 detectors to image the cortex in two people simultaneously.
• Equipment for Stimulus Presentation. Our team enables the realization of EEG-NIRS protocols with the presentation of audio-visual stimuli using the E-Prime experiment design software and an eight-button response block.

The IMAGINE Center plans to implement a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) station with integrated EEG.

The IMAGINE Center features the Hyperfine Swoop Low-field MRI scanner:
This is a mobile low-field (0.064-T) scanner allowing us, at present, to acquire T1- and T2-weighted images of quality sufficient for estimating global and regional growth of the cerebral cortex during the first 2 years of life. Additional MRI sequences and image-analysis pipelines are being developed by Hyperfine clinical scientists and our colleagues in the UNITY (Ultralow field Neuroimaging In The Young) consortium.