Magnetic Resonance Technologies
Full course description
The techniques of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are powerful, extremely flexible, and constantly developing tools in many application areas. This includes not least its use in medical routine and research. By appropriate manipulations of the nuclear spins, information can be gained about molecular structure, local molecular environments, flow and diffusion processes, and even such things as measurements of brain activation. An advantage of MRI over x-ray based imaging modalities in clinical applications is the excellent soft tissue contrast that is the achieved without any harmful ionizing radiation. This course provides you with the knowledge and skills to design, conduct and analyse NMR and MRI experiments. This theoretical and practical understanding also serves as foundation for a professional career in the field of NMR or medical imaging with MRI, or taking up a subsequent research career.
Course objectives
After completing this course, you are able to:
- Understand the fundamentals of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR): the phenomenon itself, spin dynamics and signal behaviour (e.g. relaxation times) and
- Evaluate the NMR signal and its relation to sample properties and subsequently predict how this can be manipulated to induce signal contrast.
- Explain how localised signals (Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy) can be acquired using specific hardware such as local radiofrequency coils and magnetic field gradients, and how these gradients can be used to create special encoding, i.e. form an image (Magnetic Resonance Imaging).
- Explain the application of the main MRI pulse sequences in clinical and research applications, including anatomical and functional imaging, such as T1 and T2 anatomy, brain function (fMRI), angiography, diffusion and Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping.
- Assess the benefits and limitations of modern magnet design, by understanding the effect of magnetic field strength with relation to signal properties and scanning limitations.
- Avoid and minimize image artefacts and (the sources of) distortions by understanding relevant techniques to address the limitations of MRI.
- Employ different techniques and analyse the resulting data, including morphometry, image registration, image segmentation, fMRI data analysis and diffusion tensor/fibre tracking.
- Critically evaluate new developments in the field of Magnetic Resonance Technologies and communicate these to an audience of experts and non-experts.
Recommended reading
Mandatory:
- Bernstein, M.A., King, K.F., & Zhou, X.J. (2004). Handbook of MRI Pulse Sequences. Elsevier.
- Callaghan, P. T. (1993). Principles of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Microscopy. Oxford University Press.
- McRobbie, D.W., Moore, E.A., Graves, M.J., & Prince, M.R. (2017). MRI from Picture to Proton (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781107706958
Recommended:
- Schmitt, F., Stehling, M.K., & Turner, R. (1998). Echo-Planar Imaging: Theory, Technique and Application. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-80443-4
- Uludağ, K., Uğurbil, K., & Berliner, L. (Eds.). (2015). fMRI: From Nuclear Spins to Brain Functions (Vol. 30). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7591-1