MRI Flashcards
What are the two types of MRI we can do?
MRI comprises both structural and functional MRI.
- Structural MRI examines brain anatomy or structure. Something static that doesn’t change. Like an XRAY
- fMRI examines brain functions – task-related BOLD changes. This is over time – not static.
WHat physical principles underscore both structural and functional MRI
- Brian contains a lot of protons. This is good it contains a lot of water
- Then put protons into a strong magnetic
- Lay a radio – send a high radio frequency pulse through the head
- Protons absorb this energy and begin to resonate
- Then stop emitting the radio frequency pulse
- → protons that absorbed the energy, emit the energy*
- This is the signal underlying MRI’s that we measure. The energy emitted by protons that you have excited within a magnetic field.*
in MRI what do we use to construct the brain image?
- The energy emitted by protons that you have excited within a magnetic field.
- Using this emitted energy, we can construct a brain image
the reduction of the transverse magnetisation and increase in longitudinal magnetisation
Describe the MRI set up
- Main magnet: where the magnetic field is constantly produced. Cannot switch this off. Range of 1.5 Tesla to 9.4 Tesla
- Radio frequency coil: surrounds your head, where the radio frequency pulse is transmitter, and where the measurements are taken
- Gradient coil: helps you aquire the signal at different spatial locations
Discuss the purpose of the gradient coil in MRI
- Helps you aquire the signal at different spatial locations
- Changes the gradient of the magnetic field
- You only receive one signal from the coil – different to EEG using different locations acquiring data. You have one signal
What are protons?
Sub atomic particles in atomic nucleus
Why is it lucky for MRI that the brain has a low of water in it?
- Because hydrogen contains exactly 1 proton
- + very sensitive to the RF pulse (magnetic resonance)
What do we mean by precession in MRI research?
related to the fashion in which protons spin
- Axis is tilted
- The head of this goes in a precise spin above
- The top (Circle) precession - has a certain orientation and frequency
What does the RF pulse change with regards to the protons spinning?
- spin frequency itself is not changed – fixed.
- changes the precession frequency, and its orientation
Without the magnetic field how are proton spins oriented normally?
Proton spins are random. Random orientation.
How do protons spin when the magnetic field is on?
Fraction of proton spins align parallel or anti-parallel to the magnetic field BO
- The basic magnetic field = BO.
- It is a longitudinal field from bottom (neck) to top (top of head)
How does the magnetic field in MRI affect protons? before and after
- protons have a certain orientation (precision orientation) and this goes around an oval.
- Normally it’s random but with a magnetic field, the precision orientation is affected.
- aligns parallel or anti-parallel with the magnetic field
Only a fraction of protons align – this is enough of a signal for us to pick up with fMRI
How can we get longitudinal magnetisation of the signal?
- can sum up the vectors along the longitudinal axis
- bc of the alignment we get a longitudinal magnetisation
- thus sum of the alignment gives us a value graded signal
Longitudinal magnetisation produced by the magnetic field
What’s the difference between the longitudinal and transverse magnetisation?
so we have a magnetic field, protons align, we measure the orientation of the protons
- longitudinal - measures magnetisation from the side, saggital view
- transverse - measures magnetisation from the top - no magnetisation in the transverse plane; get a vlaue of 0
What value do we get with longitudinal vs transverse magnetisation?
Transverse magnetisation
- Mxy~0
longitudinal magnetisation
- value greater than 0
- because of the magnetic field
how long after the RF pulse is delivered do the proton spins align with the magnetic field?
Trick question!
Second n enter the scanner the protons precession orientation is affected
What happens when we play the RF pulse?
- Play the radio in the transverse plane (appaz left to right now)
- protons absorb RF energy
- spin axis gets flipped 90 degrees on their side
- align with the direction of the RF pulse
by sending the RF pulse we have reduced the longitudinal magnetisation while at the same time generating transverse magnetisation IF you look from the top of n head
after playing the RF pulse and stopping what happens to the protons?
- Proton spins are on side but we still have the magnetic field along the longitudinal axis.
- the proton spins gradually return to that orientation
- they are re-radiating the absorbed energy from the RF pulse.
- time this takes it to return to this configuration = what MRI measure.
Transverse magnetisation decreases while longitudinal magnetisation decreases.
how does MRI distinguish different tissues?
- The time it takes proton spins to get back to magnetic field orientation is different for different tissues.
- allows us to discern different tissues just looking at the MRI image
What are T1, T2 and T2* effects
The reduction of the transverse magnetisation and increase in longitudinal magnetisation have different names
- T1 effect - the increase in longitudinal magnetisation (aka recovery). Underlies structural imaging.
- T2 effect - the decay/reduction of the transverse magnetisation because of spin-spin interactions
- T2* effect - the decay/reduction of the transverse magnetisation because the magnetic field is inhomogeneities - not the same at all spatial locations.
- reason it’s not the same everywhere because of differences in blood flow.
ONLY the T2* effect underlies fMRI. see this in papers - we acquired functional data using a T2* imaging protocol
Will different tissues have the same T1 and T2 effect?
Molecules in different tissues have different proton structures, e.g., white matter, grey matter, skull, CSF
Thus have different speeds at which they re-radiate absorbed energy and
- return to their original configuration (T1 effects)
- and with which the transverse magnetisation reduces (T2 effects).
Spin echo?
In most imaging studies we play both a
- 90 degree RF pulse in one direction
- then 180 degree RF pulse in other direction
- flips protons back
Produces an “echo”. this is the signal we measure, not the effect of the 90 degree initial pulse
Spin echo sequence?
- bare 90 and 180 RF pulses
- of course influences the signal because the signal reflects how much energy protons re-radiate
What two parameters do we need to clarify with MRI?
Echo time (TE)
- time (ms) between the original 90 degree and echo. Occurence of echo is the time you measure the signal. MR signal sapling.
- 180 degree pulse is applied at half the echo time
repetition time (TR)
- time between two 90 degree pulses. important as it indicates how often you cycle through the brain
What takes longer the T1 or T2 effect
T1
Repetition time (TR)
1 brain volume = 1 TR. Within TR = Rapid RF pulses sent through brain to get the info
- time betewen two 90 degree pulses - how often pulse cycles through the brain - usually within 2s
- 1 screenshot of brain activation each 2s
- then do it again for the next 2 seconds then again and again
- each time get 1 brain volume with 32 slices
- measuring signal intensity
With fMRI you measure how much the signal has reduced there - transverse magnetization If ur measuring the magnetization plate
How can we manipulate the parameters to get different things?
- Choose TE and TR - manipulate and measure RF energy at specific points in time
- do this to emphasise where diff brightness and contrast levels (signal intensities) are mainly arranged from T1 or T2 properties
Whats the difference beteween structural and functional MRI
T1 vs T2 weighted images
The times we play that radio to either produce images where diff brightness and contrast levels (signal intensities) are mainly arranged from T1 or T2 properties
- structural = look for changes in the size and integrity of brain structures
- functional = mostly a research method - which regions are activated when you do something
T1 weighted images
- Structual MRI
- brightness/contrast – determined by T1 properties. Recovery of longitudinal magnetization - how ong protons returned to origional configuration
- Better quality – higher resolution than fMRI
- Here white matter structures are white. This bc they contain mainly myelinated axons. These are fatty so show up as white.
- grey matter is grey
T2* weighted images
- fMRI
- Brightness/contrast determined by T2 properties
- the decay of transverse magnetization
- White matter is grey here. Ventricles are white and grey matter is white.
- Resolution is not as good
RF coil - go on bih
The cage thing surrounding n’s head. This is the coil.
- Both transmit pule and measure energy emitted by the protons
- also a receiver device
- 12,32,16,78 channel options - don’t pick up signals from different locations - just improves image quality.
- remember it’s one signal in the transverse plane that is picked up by all these channels in the same way
- then calculate back using Fourier transformation to understand where within that plane the signal comes from