Optimised in vivo visualisation of cortical structures in the human brain at 3 T using IR-TSE

The primary visual cortex in humans can be identified using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in vivo by detection of the stria of Gennari. To fully characterize this area, high spatial resolution is essential, including the use of very thin image slices to avoid loss of definition due to partial volume effects. A three-dimensional magnetization-prepared turbo spin-echo sequence, with appropriate parameter optimization, provided high-resolution imaging (0.4 x 0.4 x 0.5 mm3) on a clinical 3-T scanner with adequate contrast to noise ratio. These images allowed visualisation of the stria of Gennari in every slice of a volume covering most of the occipital cortex, in each of six healthy volunteers. The effective longitudinal relaxation time was measured with the isotropic resolution turbo spin echo sequence and found to be substantially shorter than values measured with a dedicated relaxometric sequence. The shortening was attributed to magnetization transfer effects, as supported by the investigation of its slab and turbo-factor dependence.