Basics of MRI

MRI is short for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It is a procedure used in hospitals to scan patients and determine the severity of certain injuries. An MRI machine uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the body.

Magnetism
Magnetism is a property of matter that is a result of the orbiting electrons in atoms. The orbiting electrons cause the atoms to have a magnetic moment associated with an intrinsic angular momentum called 'spin'. Magnetic field strengths are measured in units of gauss (G) and Tesla (T). One Tesla is equal to 10,000 gauss. The earth's magnetic field is about 0.5 gauss. The strength of electromagnets used to pick up cars in junk yards is about the field strength of MRI machines (1.5-2.0T). You will run across four terms describing the magnetic properties of materials, such as contrast agents, used in MRI. These terms are

Ferromagnetism
Paramagnetism
Superparamagnetism
Diamagnetism

Resonance and RF

Protons in a magnetic field have a microscopic magnetization and act like tiny toy tops that wobble as they spin.The rate of the wobbling or precession is the resonance or Larmor frequency. In the magnetic field of an MRI scanner at room temperature, there is approximately the same number of proton nuclei aligned with the main magnetic field Bo as counter aligned. The aligned position is slightly favored, as the nucleus is at a lower energy in this position. For every one-million nuclei, there is about one extra aligned with the Bo field as opposed to the field. This results in a net or macroscopic magnetization pointing in the direction of the main magnetic field. Exposure of individual nuclei to RF radiation (B1 field) at the Larmor frequency causes nuclei in the lower energy state to jump into the higher energy state.
On a macroscopic level, exposure of an object or person to RF radiation at the Larmor frequency, causes the net magnetization to spiral away from the Bo field. In the rotating frame of reference, the net magnetization vector rotate from a longitudinal position a distance proportional to the time length of the RF pulse. After a certain length of time, the net magnetization vector rotates 90 degrees and lies in the transverse or x-y plane. It is in this position that the net magnetization can be detected on MRI. The angle that the net magnetization vector rotates is commonly called the 'flip' or 'tip' angle. At angles greater than or less than 90 degrees there will still be a small component of the magnetization that will be in the x-y plane, and therefore be detected.

Relaxation

T1 Relaxation
The return of excited nuclei from the high energy state to the low energy or ground state is associated with loss of energy to the surrounding nuclei. Nuclear magnetic resonance was originally use to examine solids in the form of lattices, hence the name "spin-lattice" relaxation. Macroscopically, T1 relaxation is characterized by the longitudinal return of the net magnetization to its ground state of maximum length in the direction of the main magnetic field. The rate of return is an exponential process as is shown in the following figure.

The T1 relaxation time is the time for the magnetization to return to 63% of its original length. After two T1 times, the magnetization is at 86% of its original length. Three T1 times gives 95%. Spins are considered completely relaxed after 3-5 T1 times. Another term that you may hear is the T1 relaxation rate. This is merely the reciprocal of the T1 time( 1/T1). T1 relaxation is fastest when the motion of the nucleus (rotations and translations or "tumbling rate") matches that of the Larmor frequency. As a result, T1 relaxation is dependent on the main magnetic field strength that specifies the Larmor frequency. Higher magnetic fields are associated with longer T1 times.

T2 Relaxation

Microscopically, T2 relaxation or spin-spin relaxation occurs when spins in the high and low energy state exchange energy but do not loose energy to the surrounding lattice. This results macroscopically in loss of the transverse magnetization. In pure water, The T2 and T1 times are approximately the same, 2-3 seconds. In biological materials, the T2 time is considerably shorter than the T1 time. For CSF, T1=1.9 seconds and T2=0.25 seconds. For brain white matter, T1=0.5 seconds and T2=0.07 seconds (70 msec). T2 relaxation occurs exponentially like T1 relaxation with 63% of the transverse magnetization gone after one T2 period as shown in the graph.

T2* Relaxation

T2* relaxation is the loss of signal seen with dephasing of individual magnetizations. It is characterized macroscopically by loss of transverse magnetization at a rate greater than T2. It is caused by magnetic field inhomogeneity an occurs in all magnets. The relationship between T2 and T2* can be illustrated by the multiecho spin echo sequence shown in the diagram below. The 180 degree RF pulses used to generate the echo are rephasing the spins that have undergone T2* decay. The gradual decline in signal from subsequent echos reflects T2 decay (See Figure). Unlike spin echo sequences, gradient echo sequences do not refocus T2* decay. Therefore, gradient echo sequences are more susceptible to ferromagnetic foreign bodies that distort the main magnetic field homogeneity