7034 Principles of Magnetic Resonance Imaging

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course will cover the basic principles of magnetic resonance imaging, including the fundamentals of magnetic resonance, image formation and applications. Specific topics will include: fundamentals of nuclear magnetic resonance, relaxation and the Bloch equations, spin and gradient echoes, contrast mechanisms, principles of image formation, signal to noise ratio and resolution. Individual modules will give students exposure to MRI pulse sequence design and to clinical imaging, with hand-on experience on a 3T MRI scanner.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The overall goal of the course is to provide a basic understanding of how MRI works, including detailed methods of image formation and acquisition. At the end of the course, students should be able to describe the physical processes involved in acquiring and processing MRI data, the difference between various MRI imaging techniques, and clinical applications of these various methods.

PREREQUISITES:
College level physics (basics of magnetism) and mathematics (exponentials functions, algebraic functions, basic calculus concepts, e.g., derivatives and integrals). While not required, basic programming skills will be used in this course (experience with any language will be helpful, although we will be using Matlab) and students with no formal programming coursework are recommended to do online learning in advance. Suggested online modules will be emailed out a few weeks prior to the first lecture.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:
E. Mark Haacke, “Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Physical Principles and Sequence Design” ISBN-10: 0471351288; ISBN-13: 978-0471351283.

SUITABLE FOR 1ST YEAR STUDENTS:
Yes

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS:
Final take-home exam (50%), Problem sets (25%, 4-5/semester), attendance (10%), participation (15%)

Final project will be in the form of an either 1) written specific aims and study design, using MRI methods to address a fundamental question in clinical or pre-clinical medicine, or 2) critical review of a peer-reviewed MRI methods paper. The student will present and defend their proposal/paper review in an oral presentation (15-20 min) to be delivered during the last week of classes.

Problem sets will be handed out ~ every other week, with 1-2 problems designed to test students on their mastery of the imaging principles covered in class, and their ability to apply these principles to clinical or basic science applications.

Attendance will be graded based on attendance to the lectures (on a sliding scale, with full credit for at least 90% attendance). In the event of occasional, valid reasons for missed classes, students can discuss with the course instructors to make up missed material.

Participation will be expected of all students, in the form of occasional queries during class; while there will be no formal discussion sessions, all of the modules will be taught in an interactive manner, with adequate opportunity for interactive participation from students during class. Reasonable effort on the part of a student to participate in these discussions will be expected.

CREDIT HOURS: 3.0