SQUID-detected MRI at 132 mu T with T-1-weighted contrast established at 10 mu T-300 mT

T-1-weighted contrast MRI with prepolarization was detected with a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). A spin evolution period in a variable field between prepolarization and detection enabled the measurement of T-1 in fields between 1.7 muT and 300 mT; T, dispersion curves of agarose gel samples over five decades in frequency were obtained. SQUID detection at 5.6 kHz drastically reduces the field homogeneity requirements compared to conventional field-cycling methods using Faraday coil detection. This allows T-1 dispersion measurements to be easily combined with MRI, so that T-1 in a wide range of fields can be used for tissue contrast. Images of gel phantoms with T-1-weighted contrast at four different fields between 10 muT and 300 mT demonstrated dramatic contrast enhancement in low fields. A modified inversion recovery technique further enhanced the contrast by selectively suppressing the signal contribution for a specific value of the low-field T-1. Published 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.