Technical note: use of a double inversion recovery pulse sequence to image selectively grey or white brain matter

The design of a double inversion recovery (DIR) sequence, to image selectively grey or white brain matter, is described. Suitable choice of inversion times allows either cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and white matter to be suppressed, to image the cortex alone, or CSF and grey matter to be suppressed, to image the white matter. The DIR sequence was found to give clear delineation of the cerebral cortex.