TR calculation in MRI image.

Question

At 3T, the T1 of gray matter is 1.6 s and the T1 of white matter is 1.1s. What is the TR to achieve the maximal gray matter/white matter contrast assuming gray matter and the white matter have the same M0?

Answer 1

To achieve maximal gray matter/white matter contrast in T1-weighted MRI:

1. Use a repetition time (TR) such that TR/T1GM​≈1.
2. With T1GM=1.6T1GM​=1.6 s and T1Wm=1.1T1WM​=1.1 s, choose a TR around 1.61.6 seconds.