ECTS - University of Pisa
The student who successfully completes the course will have the ability to understand the principles of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and its application in living systems; will be able to demonstrate the knowledge of electromagnetic radiation interaction with living systems and the techniques for acquiring images and to evaluate T1 and T2 relaxation effects; will be able to demonstrate knowledge on the realization of basic coils for signal detection; will be aware of the power and pitfalls of the advanced techniques for quantitative measurements.
During the oral exam the student must be able to demonstrate his/her knowledge of the course material and be able to discuss the principles and methods with appropriate terminology. The student will be assessed on his/her demonstrated ability to put into practice and to execute, with critical awareness, the activities illustrated or carried out during the laboratory.
Methods:
Further information:
final oral exam 60%; laboratory report 40%
Delivery: face to face
Learning activities:
Attendance: Mandatory
Teaching methods:
Classical Bloch equations and basic quantum mechanical description Magnetization Interaction with RF; rotating frame Receiving and acquiring data Simple sequences to measure relaxation times; Gradient echo, spin echo and stimulated echo, inversion recovery Reconstruction imaging: slice selection, Phase and Frequency encoding (k space) Basic spectroscopy, and advanced imaging techniques Components of an MR scanner Interactions of MR fields with biological tissues
Recommended reading: [1] Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Physical Principles and Sequence Design. E.M Haacke, R W. Brown, M.R. Thompson, R. Venkatesan. Ed Wiley-Liss, 1999. Further bibliography [2] In Vivo NMR Spectroscopy: Principles and Techniques. Robin A. de Graaf. Ed. John Wiley & Sons, 2013. [3]Quantitative MRI of the Brain: Measuring Changes Caused by Disease. Paul Tofts. Ed. John Wiley and Sons, 2003. [4] Ultra High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Pierre-Marie Robitaille, Lawrence Berliner. Ed. Springer, 2007.
