Precise estimate of fundamental in-vivo MT parameters in human brain in clinically feasible times.

A methodology is presented for extracting precise quantitative MT parameters using a magnetisation-prepared spoiled gradient echo sequence. This method, based on a new mathematical model, provides relaxation parameters for human brain in-vitro and in-vivo. The in-vivo parameters have been obtained from three different regions of normal white matter: occipital white matter, frontal white matter and centrum semiovale; two regions of normal grey matter: cerebral cortex and cerebellum, and from five regions with MS lesions. All this has been achieved using MT images collected within a timeframe that is clinically feasible. We hope that this new technique will shed light on the properties and dynamics of water compartments within the brain.