T1- and T2-weighted imaging at 8 Tesla

In this work, both T1- and T2-weighted fast imaging methods at 8 T are presented. These include the modified driven equilibrium Fourier transform (MDEFT) and rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE) methods, respectively. Axial MDEFT images were acquired with large nutation angles, both partially suppressing gray and white matter and permitting the visualization of vascular structures rich in unsaturated spins. Sagittal RARE images, acquired from the same volunteer, were highly T2-weighted, thus highlighting the CSF. At the same time, they provided good visualization of the corpus callosum, cerebellum, and gray and white matter structures. Importantly, both MDEFT and RARE images could be acquired without violating specific absorption rate guidelines.