Small animal magnetic resonance imaging: Basic principles, instrumentation and practical issue

Abstract

The purpose of this book chapter is to provide a basic introduction to the field of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and its extension to small animal imaging using magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM). The chapter starts with a section describing the most fundamental aspects of MR including the resonance phenomena, relaxation mechanisms, and the basic physical processes leading to MR signal generation. Afterwards the concept of magnetic field gradients leading to the most basic imaging principles of MRI and MRM will be summarized. This introduction will be completed by giving an overview over the MR hardware involved, the basic information content of a MRM experiment and finally challenges and limitations of this imaging technology and some imaging examples will be discussed. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.