Synopsis

Keywords: Neuro: Brain, Neuro: White matter

Myelin is a lipid-protein bilayer, which plays an essential role for brain function in facilitating the rapid conduction of action potentials in the axon. Loss of myelin is the hallmark of numerous inflammatory andneurodegenerative disorders. UTE or ZTE MRI sequences with echo times shorter than 100 us make it possible to direct image and quantify myelin content in brain. This lecture summarizes the recent development and applications of UTE and ZTE techniques for evaluation of myelin changes ex vivo and in vivo.