Pennsylvania State University has recently installed a new upgrade to its Siemens MRI scanner in the Chandlee Lab of its Social, Life, and Engineering Sciences Imaging Center (SLEIC). According to an announcement from the university, the Magnetom Trio Upgrade to its Magnetom Prismafit MRI scanner provides Penn State researchers with the ability to capture high-quality images at incredibly high speeds.

“There are many scientists at Penn State who study the brain,” said Michele Diaz, PhD, director of human imaging and associate professor of psychology. “Normally, we want to scan the entire brain. On the old 3-T machine, we could try for a more detailed look by obtaining thin slices of the brain, but the scans would take a very long time. Now, we will get the same image that we used to in nearly half the time.”

Diaz noted that cutting scanning time in half is beneficial for both the researcher and the study participant, who must lie perfectly still inside a 60-centimeter area of the MRI scanner.

According to the Siemens website, its Magnetom Trio Upgrade, available for the Magnetom Trio and Prismafit systems, makes 3T imaging more accurate, productive, and reproducible while maintaining its benchmark magnet homogeneity. The upgrade is said to provide virtually unlimited imaging capabilities and long-lasting stability, even for longer examinations.

For more details about the upgrade, visit the Siemens website.