Objective:

To assess the uniformity of T

1

mapping acquired by several commonly used coils of 7.0T small animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods:

T

1

mapping of deionized water

0.2 mmol/L and 0.4 mmol/L Magnevist solution was measured with rat/mouse brain surface coil and mouse head/body volume coil

and multiple regions of interest (ROI) were delineat-ed. And the T

1

mapping spatial

uniformity of different coils were compared.

Results:

There are spatial uniformity differences in the measurement of

T

1

values by different coils. In certain cases

the difference in T

1

mapping in the volume coils is more sensitive than the difference in signal strength. In general

the uniformity of small-diameter coils is better than that of large-diameter coils. And the uniformity of X-direction (left to right) is better than the Y-direction (upper to lower).

Conclusion:

We recommend T

1

mapping uni-formity as one of the quality control reference indicators. Small diameter coils should be used when acquiring T

1

mapping. When the experimental animals were in the supine or prone position

the

T

1

values of the contralateral tissues should be selected for comparison with higher confidence.