Magnetization transfer in neuroimaging

Magnetization transfer (MT) imaging has become a focus of recent basic science and clinical investigations because of its unique physical basis of contrast, and the potential to quantify aspects of the biochemical structure and composition of tissues. In this article, basic theories of MT are discussed, and several practical MT pulse and sequence considerations are addressed. The clinical utility of MT techniques in MR angiography, postgadolinium T1-weighted scanning, and spine scanning are discussed. Highlights of quantitative MT studies for pathologic tissue characterization and for studies of patients with white-matter disorders such as multiple sclerosis are included, giving a comprehensive review of the neuroimaging application of MT.