Mini-MRI scanner and some possibilities for its use for studying living tissues

We show that a laboratory table-top MRI scanner can be used to obtain images of living tissues in the hand of a patient and to record spin–spin relaxation of protons in water and protons in lipid compounds. We have identified variations in the spin–spin relaxation rate as high as 24% due to the individual biochemical characteristics of the patients. We present the results of using the instrument for diagnosis of age-related changes in bone tissues density and estimating the variation in the spin–spin relaxation constants.