Curriculum
A complete, friendly path from the quantum behavior of a single proton to confident interpretation of real studies. Work straight through, or hop to any lesson — prerequisites are always linked.
7 parts · 23 lessons · ~20 hours
Pillar I · MRI Imaging Science
From a single proton’s spin to the Fourier-encoded raw signal: nuclear physics, relaxation, k-space, pulse sequences, contrast, hardware, artifacts and safety — the machinery beneath every image.
Spin, Magnetization & the Larmor Equation
Nuclear magnetic resonance from first principles
We build the bulk magnetization vector from the quantum behavior of the hydrogen nucleus, derive the Larmor frequency, and show — interactively — how an on-resonance RF pulse tips magnetization in the rotating frame. This is the vocabulary the rest of the course speaks.
T1, T2 & T2*: Relaxation Mechanisms
How magnetization returns to equilibrium
Longitudinal (T1) and transverse (T2) relaxation are the physical clocks that make tissues distinguishable. We connect relaxation to molecular tumbling and the spectral-density model, separate T2 from T2′ and T2*, and let you fit the recovery and decay curves yourself.
Gradients, Slice Selection & Spatial Encoding
Turning one signal into a map of space
Magnetic field gradients make Larmor frequency a function of position. We work through slice-selective excitation, frequency encoding (readout), and phase encoding, and show how the time-bandwidth product and gradient amplitude set slice thickness and field of view.
k-Space & the Fourier Transform
The raw data domain of MRI
Every MR image is the 2D Fourier transform of a grid of spatial-frequency samples called k-space. We make the center–periphery contrast/detail trade-off tangible, explain how trajectories are traversed, and connect under-sampling to aliasing and acceleration.
The Spin-Echo Family
SE, FSE/TSE, inversion recovery, FLAIR & STIR
The 180° refocusing pulse recovers signal lost to static dephasing and defines the most robust contrast in MRI. We build spin echo, accelerate it into fast/turbo spin echo with echo trains, and add inversion pulses to null fat (STIR) or CSF (FLAIR).
Gradient-Echo & Steady-State Imaging
Spoiled GRE, bSSFP and the Ernst angle
Replacing the refocusing pulse with a gradient reversal gives fast, flip-angle-driven imaging that is sensitive to T2* and susceptibility. We derive the Ernst angle, distinguish spoiled from balanced steady states, and explain why GRE underpins most modern fast and 3D protocols.
Image Contrast: TR, TE, TI & Flip Angle
The clinician’s control surface
This is where physics meets the reading room. We assemble the full signal equation and use real T1/T2/PD volumes of one subject to show how moving TR and TE alone reweights every tissue. You will predict — then verify on real data — what a parameter change does.
Fast & Parallel Imaging
EPI, SENSE/GRAPPA, partial Fourier & compressed sensing
Clinical throughput and motion robustness come from filling k-space faster. We cover echo-planar readouts, multi-coil parallel imaging in image (SENSE) and k-space (GRAPPA) domains, partial-Fourier symmetry, simultaneous multi-slice, and compressed sensing.
Scanner Hardware
Magnets, gradients & the RF chain
The image is only as good as the instrument. We tour the superconducting magnet and shim, the gradient coils and their slew-rate limits, the transmit/receive RF chain and phased-array coils, and what a quench actually is — with an interactive 3D scanner.
MRI Safety
Static field, gradients, RF, implants & zones
MRI safety is a physics problem with life-or-death stakes. We quantify the projectile force of the static field, peripheral nerve stimulation from gradients, SAR heating from RF, and the four-zone facility model — plus a structured approach to implants and devices.
Artifacts: Recognition & Remediation
Reading the failure modes of the physics
Every artifact is physics leaving a fingerprint. We catalog motion and flow ghosting, aliasing, chemical shift, susceptibility, truncation/Gibbs, and parallel-imaging residuals — and, crucially, the concrete parameter changes that fix each one.
Image Quality, SNR/CNR & QA
Quantifying and protecting diagnostic quality
We make image quality measurable: SNR and CNR definitions, the dependence on voxel volume, averages, bandwidth and field strength, and the routine ACR phantom QA program that keeps a scanner honest over time.
Pillar II · Cross-Sectional MRI Anatomy
The normal map on real volumes — brain, neurovascular tree, spine, musculoskeletal system and body — as the substrate every interpretation is measured against.
Pillar III · MRI Pathophysiology
How disease writes itself into signal: the biophysics of diffusion, the chemistry of evolving hemorrhage, the mechanisms of edema, tumor biology and ischemia.
Diffusion Physics in Biology
The biophysics of the random walk
Diffusion-weighted imaging turns the microscopic random walk of water into image contrast. We derive the ADC and b-value from Brownian motion, explain how cellularity and cytotoxic edema restrict diffusion, and separate true restriction from T2 shine-through.
Hemorrhage Evolution on MRI
Reading the chemistry of blood over time
Blood changes its magnetic properties as hemoglobin degrades, and MRI reads that chemistry as a clock. We follow oxy- to deoxy- to met-hemoglobin to hemosiderin and the T1/T2/T2* signatures that let you date a bleed and detect microhemorrhage.
Edema and Inflammation
Vasogenic, cytotoxic and interstitial fluid
Excess water comes in mechanistically distinct forms that look — and diffuse — differently. We contrast vasogenic, cytotoxic and interstitial edema, connect them to the blood–brain barrier and FLAIR, and read demyelination patterns.
Tumor Biology in MRI
Vascularity, barrier disruption and infiltration
Enhancement, diffusion and perfusion are windows onto tumor biology. We connect neovascularity and barrier disruption to enhancement kinetics, cellularity to ADC, and infiltration to the limits of what enhancement shows — then reason across differentials.
Ischemia and Perfusion
Diffusion restriction, mismatch and the penumbra
Acute stroke is the canonical MRI emergency. We trace the ADC time course, define the DSC perfusion parameters, and show how the diffusion–perfusion mismatch defines the salvageable penumbra that drives modern reperfusion decisions.
Pillar IV · Organ-Based MRI Interpretation
Expert reading, organ by organ — brain, spine, musculoskeletal, cardiac, liver, pancreas and pelvis — from finding to differential to management.
Pillar V · Advanced MRI Modalities
Diffusion and tractography, perfusion, BOLD function, spectroscopy, cardiac mapping and quantitative MRI — imaging microstructure, hemodynamics, metabolism and function.
Diffusion: DWI, ADC & DTI
Imaging the random walk of water
Diffusion weighting sensitizes signal to micron-scale water motion, making it the cornerstone of acute stroke imaging and white-matter tractography. We derive the b-value and ADC, explain diffusion–perfusion mismatch, and extend to the tensor model.
Perfusion & Angiography
DSC, DCE, ASL and the physics of flow
We image blood: bolus tracking (DSC/DCE) for hemodynamics, arterial spin labeling for contrast-free perfusion, and the flow phenomena (time-of-flight, phase contrast) that produce angiograms. Real ASL and MRA volumes anchor the concepts.
BOLD fMRI & MR Spectroscopy
Mapping function and metabolism
The same physics that makes GRE susceptibility-sensitive lets us detect the blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal of neural activity, and chemical shift lets us read tissue metabolites. We cover the BOLD model, experimental design, and single-voxel spectroscopy.
Pillar VI · Advanced Diagnostic Reasoning
Pattern recognition, Bayesian differential prioritization, error and cognitive bias, evidence-based imaging and the role of artificial intelligence.
Pillar VII · Integrated MRI Medicine
The synthesis: protocol design and structured, multi-sequence case interpretation that turns images into a biophysical measurement of tissue state.
Protocol Design & Sequence Selection
Engineering an exam to answer a question
A protocol is an argument: each sequence answers a sub-question within a time and SAR budget. We formalize how to choose planes, weightings, fat suppression and contrast for common indications, balancing diagnostic yield against scan time and safety.
Case-Based Interpretation
Putting it together on live data
A capstone. Working from real multi-contrast volumes in the live viewer, we apply a structured search pattern, reason from signal to pathology, and rehearse the physics-to-diagnosis chain that defines expert reading.