Abstract This chapter will introduce the q -space theory, which describes the behavior of water molecules probing their restricted environment without assuming a specific probability function of their spatial distribution….

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and specifically diffusion MRI opened, for the first time, a window into the in vivo physiology of white matter. Almost two decades ago, diffusion tensor…

Abstract Radiofrequency receive-only coil arrays consist of a spatial arrangement of several small surface coil elements that record the magnetic resonance signal independently. This provides two major benefits: first, the…

Abstract In the human spinal cord, the magnetic flux density is spatially inhomogeneous, which is mainly due to the different susceptibilities of the vertebrae, the intervertebral disks, and the air-filled…

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the human spinal cord in vivo suffers from multiple practical limitations: low signal-to-noise ratio, the need for high resolution, and the detrimental influence of…

Abstract Prior to the widespread use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the diagnosis of acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) was largely based on clinical history, physical examination, plain film…

Abstract The introduction of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) has vastly improved the diagnosis of injury level and severity as well as the…

Abstract The spinal cord is commonly affected in inflammatory demyelinating diseases (IDD) of the central nervous system. In the most common IDD, multiple sclerosis (MS), the importance of spinal cord…

Abstract In vivo spinal cord imaging is now commonly used to diagnose patients with neurodegenerative disorders. Quantitative MRI (qMRI) techniques applied to the spinal cord show promise for predicting prognosis…