NMR relaxation times in the human brain at 3.0 tesla

Relaxation time measurements at 3.0 T are reported for both gray and white matter in normal human brain. Measurements were made using a 3.0 T Bruker Biospec magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner in normal adults with no clinical evidence of neurological disease. Nineteen subjects, 8 female and 11 male, were studied for T1 and T2 measurements, and 7 males were studied for T*2. Measurements were made using a saturation recovery method for T1, a multiple spin‐echo experiment for T2, and a fast low‐angle shot (FLASH) sequence with 14 different echo times for T*2. Results of the measurements are summarized as follows. Average T1 values measured for gray matter and white matter were 1331 and 832 msec, respectively. Average T2 values measured for gray matter and white matter were 80 and 110 msec, respectively. The average T*2 values for occipital and frontal gray matter were 41.6 and 51.8 msec, respectively. Average T*2 values for occipital and frontal white matter were 48.4 and 44.7 msec, respectively. ANOVA tests of the measurements revealed that for both gray and white matter there were no significant differences in T1 from one location in the brain to another. T2 in occipital gray matter was significantly higher (0.0001