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This is an image of the MRI lab I used to work in. The large
vertical cylinders on legs are the super-conducting magnets that produce a very strong magnetic
field which is where the sample is placed while collecting the data to create an image.
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The console is essentially a computer controlled radio station where
one selects the frequency, duration, and shape of radio pulses that are transmitted into the sample being
held in the magnetic field. The atoms in the sample resonate with the radio waves and absorb energy. When you
suddenly switch from transmitting to receiving, you collect the radio signals from the atoms in the sample. The
frequency of the signal depends upon the strength of the magnetic field where the particular atom is located.
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Once you've gathered all of the signals, the computer is used to "decode" the
frequencies by means of an FFT algorithm (Fast Fourier Transform) which converts the frequency encoded data into
spatially encoded data which can then be plotted as an image.
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This is an example of a multi-slice image of a rat brain along the saggital plane
(from left to right) that I
created using the imaging system above. The nose of the rat is pointing downward in both of these images. Notice the branching
structures toward the top of the image as the slices move deeper into the brain. This structure is the cerebellum which
is responsible for the "higher" brain functions, and often referred to as the "tree of life".
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This is an example of a multi-slice image of a rat brain along the coronal plane (from top to bottom).
Again, the nose of the rat is toward the bottom of the image. The bright spots that flash near the bottom of the image
are the rat's eyes.
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