Magnetic resonance imaging
hideMagnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), or nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI), is primarily a medical imaging technique most commonly used in radiology to visualize the internal structure and function of the body. MRI provides much greater contrast between the different soft tissues of the body than computed tomography (CT) does, making it especially useful in neurological (brain), musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and oncological (cancer) imaging. Unlike CT, it uses no ionizing radiation, but uses a powerful magnetic field to align the nuclear magnetization of (usually) hydrogen atoms in water in the body. Radio frequency (RF) fields are used to systematically alter the alignment of this magnetization, causing the hydrogen nuclei to produce a rotating magnetic field detectable by the scanner. This signal can be manipulated by additional magnetic fields to build up enough information to construct an image of the body.:36
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is a relatively new technology. The first MR image was published in 1973 and the first cross-sectional image of a living mouse was published in January 1974. The first studies performed on humans were published in 1977. By comparison, the first human X-ray image was taken in 1895.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging was developed from knowledge gained in the study of nuclear magnetic resonance. In its early years the technique was referred to as nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI). However, as the word nuclear was associated in the public mind with ionizing radiation exposure it is generally now referred to simply as MRI. Scientists still use the term NMRI when discussing non-medical devices operating on the same principles. The term Magnetic Resonance Tomography (MRT) is also sometimes used.
For more information about Magnetic resonance imaging, read the full article at
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News tagged with magnetic resonance
Researchers are on the path to creating nano-MRI images
Dec 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Cornell researchers are devising methods to detect the magnetic fields of individual electrons and atomic nuclei, which they hope to use to make a nanoscale version of magnetic resonance imaging.
The Queen and I: How autistic brain distinguishes oneself from others
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 14, 2009 |
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Scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered that the brains of individuals with autism are less active when engaged in self-reflective thought. The study published today in the journal Brain provid ...
Intel wants a chip implant in your brain
Nov 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Computer chip maker Intel wants to implant a brain-sensing chip directly into the brains of its customers to allow them to operate computers and other devices without moving a muscle.
What is 'Real'? How Our Brain Differentiates Between Reality and Fantasy
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Mar 23, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (22) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Most people can easily tell the difference between reality and fantasy. We know that characters in novels and movies are fictitious, and we also understand that historical figures - even if ...
Computer Based on Insights From The Brain Moves Closer to Reality
Technology / Computer Sciences
Nov 18, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (26) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Today at SC 09, the supercomputing conference, IBM announced significant progress toward creating a computer system that simulates and emulates the brain's abilities for sensation, perception, ...
Study: Believers' inferences about God's beliefs are uniquely egocentric
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 30, 2009 |
4 / 5 (49) |
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Religious people tend to use their own beliefs as a guide in thinking about what God believes, but are less constrained when reasoning about other people's beliefs, according to new study published in the ...
UCSB physicists move one step closer to quantum computing
Nov 20, 2009 |
5 / 5 (9) |
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Physicists at UC Santa Barbara have made an important advance in electrically controlling quantum states of electrons, a step that could help in the development of quantum computing. The work is published ...
Don't I know you? Research sheds light on memorial retrieval
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 07, 2009 |
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We have all had the embarrassing experience of seeing an acquaintance in an unfamiliar setting. We know we know them but can't recall who they are. But with the correct cues from conversation or context, something seems ...
Wizard at circuits, physics
Dec 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Donhee Ham, Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics, uses his personal energy and understanding of physics to design innovative integrated circuits.
For older adults, participating in social service activities can improve brain functions
Dec 15, 2009 |
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Volunteer service, such as tutoring children, can help older adults delay or reverse declining brain function, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Using functional ...
I see your pain
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 03, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- How can some sportsmen and women, in the heat of the moment, play on through pain that would floor anyone else? Bert Trautmann, the Manchester City goalkeeper, famously played on through to ...
A little magic provides an atomic-level look at bone
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Dec 02, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study using solid-state NMR spectroscopy to analyze intact bone paves the way for atomic-level explorations of how disease and aging affect bone. The research by scientists at the University of Michigan ...
New study finds men and women may respond differently to danger
Nov 29, 2009 |
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Researchers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study brain activation have found that men and women respond differently to positive and negative stimuli, according to a study presented today at the annual ...
fMRI scans used in murder trial sentencing
Nov 25, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (4) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans have been used, possibly for the first time, in the sentencing phase of a murder trial in Chicago in the US.
Reaching the summit of protein dynamics
Dec 10, 2009 |
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Understanding the incredibly speedy atomic mechanisms at work when a protein transitions from one shape to another has been an elusive scientific goal for years, but an essential one for elucidating the full ...
