MR Physics in X230 Minutes

A Talk from Hell

One reason why this is a talk from hell: there is a lot to say in just
20 – 30 minutes.
The second reason is on slide #6.
• Changing electric fields make magnetic
fields, changing magnetic fields make
electric fields.
+
• Hydrogen nuclei (protons) are slightly
magnetic due to their “spin”. In water
H2O -
they are relatively naked of electrons
so their nuclear magnetic resonance is
less obscured. Water is abundant in
the body.

• In the MRI scanner a very large coil

cooled with liquid helium has a very
strong electric current flowing
continuously. This makes the strong (3
B0
Tesla) unchanging magnetic field called
B0. Protons in this strong field become
(a) more magnetic and (b) lined up with
B0, rather than lining up in random
fluctuating directions.
• There is also a radio-frequency (RF)
antenna (“head coil”; it looks like a bird
cage) that both transmits and receives
RF energy.
• If we transmit a pulse at exactly the right
frequency (127.68 MHz at 3T) we can
spiral the hydrogen nuclei out of
alignment with B0 over to flip angle.
More RF pulse energy is needed for
larger flip angles (larger amplitude or
longer duration = more energy).
• The head coil will receive this RF back
as hydrogen nuclei spiral back up
toward B0. T1 is the time constant for Time constant T1

getting back this longitudinal (Mz, spin-

lattice) magnetization.T2 is the time
constant for losing transverse (Mxy)
magnetization due to spin-spin
interactions and, when combined with Flip
faster losses due to magnetic field Angle
variation (e.g., from blood oxygenation Time constant(s)
changes), yields T2*. T2 and T2*
• Three other coils in the scanner have flowing
electric currents from time to time. These
make weaker magnetic fields, called Slice
gradients, that vary over time as well as over selection
space (field of view). One gradient varies up-
down, another varies left-right, the third varies
fore-aft. Magnetic
vectors in the
selected slice ,
• One of those gradients is turned on at the seen from
same time as the head coil transmits RF above. They
energy at 127.68 MHz. This gradient makes spin around at
the magnetic field too strong near one end 127.68 MHz
and point in
(3.0001 T) and too weak near the other end the same
(2.9999 T) for 127.68 MHz to be exactly the direction.
right frequency. Only those hydrogen nuclei
where magnetic field strength is “exactly” 3T Not selected, field too strong
get bumped out of alignment with B0 by this
RF. The is called “slice selection” because
only a thin sheet out of the whole volume fits
the criteria. Slice thickness is determined by Selected slice, field just right
RF pulse bandwidth (thinner slices = longer
pulses) and by gradient slope (thinner slices
= more Gauss/cm). The slice-select gradient
could be up-down (axial slices, like here), left-
right (sagittal slices), fore-aft (coronal slices)
or any combination (oblique slices).
Not selected, field too weak
 Phase Encode & Frequency Encode (Readout) Gradients
Magnetic vectors in selected slice
while phase encode gradient is on
(one of 64 possible gradient
magnitudes illustrated). Speed
changes left to right.
Slow Medium Fast
Magnetic vectors in selected
slice after the phase encode
gradient turns off. Speed no
longer differs but pointing
direction changes left to right.
Behind Ahead
Magnetic vectors in selected slice
while frequency encode (readout)
gradient is on. Speed changes top
to bottom and pointing direction
changes left to right.
Fast
Medium
Slow
 Why This Is a Talk from Hell

While working on this talk I recalled a joke

about a man who died and found
himself in Hell.
He was standing waist-deep in feces. He
looks over to the next condemned soul
and remarks, “This sure stinks but
somehow I thought Hell would be
worse.”
Then the Devil gave the order, “Everyone
stand on their head!”
 Stand on your head at inversion time (TI) Echo time (TE) = 2 * TI

Dephasing & Rephasing: Protons

Stand on Their Heads

This is where the

“Dephasing”
Some protons move
faster because they are in
a place having a stronger
magnetic field. The
recorded signal grows
weaker with more
dephasing (the vectors
are not pointing in the
same direction).
protons are made to
“stand on their head”,
rotating 180 degrees out
of the plane of the
drawing at time (TI).
What forces them to do
this is a strong RF
inversion pulse for spin
echo images..
“Rephasing”
The vectors’ points are
lined up again after a
predictable length of
time, the “echo” time (or
TE). The recorded
signal gets stronger with
rephasing.
 “Stand on your
head, protons”

Spin Echo sequence

The inversion pulse is not very
sensitive to t2* inhomogeneity

Repeat after time TR with a different

magnitude of phase encode gradient

Spin echo
 Gradient Echo sequence
No RF pulse “DO NOT
stand on your
head, protons”

“De-phasing”: Race “Re-phasing”: Race

backwards fast forwards slow

Both races are very sensitive to t2* inhomogeneity

Gradient echo
 Echo-Planar Imaging

x 1 ............................................... 64

Zoomed in view of k - space

x 1
2
3
4
5
1 2 3 4 5 6 ...
Click here 6

repeatedly
if no image
 Adjusting Parameters to Change Image Contrast

MRA
Very short TR

CSF, gray matter and white matter (also water, fat, protein, etc.) all have different values
for T1, T2, and T2*. As a consequence there are multiple ways to reveal contrasts
among tissues (T1-, T2-, proton density contrasts shown). For MRA (angiogram), the TR
is so short that protons stuck in the selected tissue have their vectors stuck at the flip
angle ... while protons in flowing blood escape the selected slice, relax toward B0 and
emit RF. The MRA thus makes blood vessels stand out from other tissues.
 Two more imaging types
• Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL): The common or internal carotid artery is
selected either by a slice made well below the brain, or by placing a
supplemental surface coil on the neck. Protons in the common/internal
carotid blood are inverted (FA = 180) with an RF pulse. Those protons
will alter magnetic signal recorded from slices in the brain into which this
labeled blood has perfused, as it dilutes signals from blood previously in
the brain that did not get inverted protons.
• High Angular Resolution Diffusion Weighted Imaging (HARD): Diffusion
weighting of MR images is achieved with two extra gradient pulses per
TR, one strongly dephasing, the other strongly rephasing unless the
protons have moved during the time between the pulses. Diffusion is
movement at the molecular level driven by heat. The more diffusion, the
less successful is the rephasing pulse, and the smaller the recovered
signal. In brain tissue diffusion is directional, being channeled by the cell
membrane to move more readily along than across each axon. A voxel
of white matter is sampled from many directions (the more directions the
higher the angular resolution) to determine the predominant diffusion
directions, from which the travel directions of axons passing through that
voxel can be inferred.
 Terms
• B0 = unchanging strong (3T) magnetic field, always on
• RF = radio frequency, approximately 127.68 MHz at 3T, Larmor frequency of H in H 2O
• flip angle = tilt of proton magnetization vector away from axis of longitudinal magnetization,
initially related to transmitted RF pulse energy
• T1 = time constant for recovery of longitudinal magnetization, a relatively large length of time
• T2 = time constant for the loss of transverse magnetization, for two main reasons
• 1/T2* = 1/T2[spin-spin interactions, a medium length of time] + 1/T2[magnetic field
inhomogeneities, such as varying blood oxgenation levels, a short length of time]
• gradient = magnetic field that varies over space (field of view) and/or over time
• slice selection gradient = makes a thin slice of tissue have the proper magnetic field for a
coincident transmitted RF pulse, so as to tilt protons only within the slice to the flip angle
• slice thickness = determined by bandwidth of transmitted RF and gradient rate of change
• phase encoding gradient = temporarily speeds up or slows down precession on one slice
axis, turned off while receiving RF
• frequency encoding (readout) gradient = speeds up or slows down precession on the
orthogonal slice axis, turned on while receiving RF
• dephasing = mismatched pointing directions of vectors that precessed at different rates
• TI = inversion time, when vectors are rotated 180 degrees out of plane by an RF pulse
• rephasing = rematched pointing directions of vectors at 2*TI or at the echo time (TE)
• TE = echo time(s). More than one dephasing-rephasing can be used per tilting pulse.
• TR = repetition time, how long to wait before tilting the protons again, perhaps using a new
phase encoding gradient or perhaps selecting a new slice
• Echo-planar imaging (EPI): one method of spatial encoding, another popular method is spiral
• T1-, T2-, T2*-, proton density-, diffusion-weighted, MRA, BOLD (fMRI), ASL = types of
image contrast
 Cartoon of How RF signals are captured into k-space (via 2-D FFT )
Selected slice before phase Readout after zero slope Readout after large slope
or frequency encoding phase encoding, complex phase encoding, complex
plane stays flat plane wrinkled up/down

real real real

imag
imag imag

real imag real imag

real imag
x,y x,y x,y

psd (complex 2-D vector) psd (complex 2-D vector) psd (complex 2-D vector)
Frequency Change from Phase Encode

Frequency Change from Phase Encode

Frequency Change from Phase Encode

Frequency Change from Readout Gradient

Frequency Change from Readout Gradient Frequency Change from Readout Gradient
 Link to k-space tutorial

http://www.revisemri.com/tutorials/intro_kspace1.htm