Prof. Ralf Deichmann | MR Imaging methods for measuring brain tissue parameters: Technical challenges and applications

There is an increasing number of research studies that are based on quantitative MR imaging (qMRI) techniques for the direct mapping of brain tissue properties. The parameters most frequently mapped are the water content or proton density (PD) and the relaxation times (T1, T2, T2*). An important application of qMRI is the construction of synthetic anatomical data sets with novel contrasts. In clinical studies, the careful evaluation of qMRI data allows for the detection of diffuse pathologies in normal appearing brain tissue. However, the design of reliable mapping methods is technically challenging as various secondary effects have to be compensated for to avoid a residual bias in the data. In the presentation, some of the most prominent qMRI techniques will be shortly described. There will be a special focus on the application of qMRI in clinical research, in particular for Tumour Imaging, in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and in Epilepsy.