biostudies-literatureRamos-Llorden GDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH)309-324https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12920100biostudies-literatureUnknown10(2)Defining the connectome, the complete matrix of structural connections between the nervous system nodes, is a challenge for human systems neuroscience due to the range of scales that must be bridged. Here we report the design of the Connectome 2.0 human magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to perform connectomics at the mesoscopic and microscopic scales with strong gradients for in vivo human imaging. We construct a 3-layer head-only gradient coil optimized to minimize peripheral nerve stimulation while achieving a gradient strength of 500 mT m^-1 and a slew rate of 600 T m^-1 s^-1, corresponding to a 5-fold greater gradient performance than state-of-the-art research gradient systems, including the original Connectome (Connectome 1.0) scanner. We find thatNature biomedical engineeringUltra-high gradient connectomics and microstructure MRI scanner for imaging of human brain circuits across scales.PMC12920100DP5-OD031854U01-EB026996INST-169/22-1K99NS132984P41-EB030006Krug ARosen BRKeil BRamos-Llorden GLo WCRummert EHuang SYMa YLee HBasser PJDietz PClifford BRuyters GBenner TDavids MLee HHStocker SRoesler MWald LLWitzel TMahmutovic MPotthast AMaffei CYendiki APark DJSchuster RMuller AKirsch JEFischer JBilgic BTian QfalseUltra-high gradient connectomics and microstructure MRI scanner for imaging of human brain circuits across scales.Defining the connectome, the complete matrix of structural connections between the nervous system nodes, is a challenge for human systems neuroscience due to the range of scales that must be bridged. Here we report the design of the Connectome 2.0 human magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to perform connectomics at the mesoscopic and microscopic scales with strong gradients for in vivo human imaging. We construct a 3-layer head-only gradient coil optimized to minimize peripheral nerve stimulation while achieving a gradient strength of 500 mT m^-1 and a slew rate of 600 T m^-1 s^-1, corresponding to a 5-fold greater gradient performance than state-of-the-art research gradient systems, including the original Connectome (Connectome 1.0) scanner. We find that2026-01-01T00:00:00Z2026 Feb2026-07-16T13:05:05.752Z2026-07-09T10:56:27.888ZS-EPMC129201004067072010.1038/s41551-025-01457-x