"RF Coils for High Resolution Imaging of the Human Visual Cortex at Ultra-High Fields"

The aim of this thesis is to investigate and develop radiofrequency (RF) coils for high resolution imaging of the human visual cortex at field strengths of 7T and 9.4T, with a focus of conformal, phased array coil geometries towards realising homogeneous transmit and receive fields and high Signal to Noise ratios (SNR). Novel RF coil layouts and designs are simulated, implemented and tested using optimised RF pulse sequences. The potential of conducting high resolution anatomical, functional and quantitative imaging are discussed, with an emphasis on functional and structural imaging of cortical layers in the human brain.