Probing Tissue Motion Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging methods provide the flexibility to probe molecular motion in living organisms at vastly different scales – from sub-micron level, incoherent diffusive motion to organized motion of blood blow in vessels with velocities on the order of fraction of m/s. MR imaging methods sensitized to tissue motion can provide great insight into physiology of living tissue, e.g., to diagnose acute stroke, tissue micro-circulation or perfusion, tissue stiffness, bulk blood flow, and tissue deformation. This lecture will provide a brief overview of the principles behind these MR imaging methods.