Can anyone shed some light on how MRI machines generate such detailed images of human tissue? I already more or less understand nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transforms, and how paramagnetic molecules can decrease relaxation times. What I don’t understand is how the MRI machines can create such detailed pictures simply by measuring the net magnetization of the protons in someone. Can anyone help me out?

Using nuclear magnetic resonance, fourier transforms and paramagnetic molecules, MRI machines created detailed pictures simply by measuring the net magnetization of the protons in human tissue.

Izzat what you wanted to know?

Its down to computer processing of raw data. I would suggest you find yourself a textbook if you actually want to know what ahppens. If you already know about proton relaxation and so on, you already know about the differing environments and how that affects relaxation times, and then how the signals can be interpreted using fourier transforms and then plotted by computer.
Hey, I can almost rememebr some of my chemistry degree!
But I bet that was no help to you.

Can anyone shed some light on how MRI machines generate such detailed images of human tissue?

<a href="http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/mri.htm" target="new">How MRI works</a><P>

Its down to computer processing of raw data. I would suggest you find yourself a textbook if you actually want to know what ahppens. If you already know about proton relaxation and so on, you already know about the differing environments and how that affects relaxation times, and then how the signals can be interpreted using fourier transforms and then plotted by computer.
Hey, I can almost rememebr some of my chemistry degree!
But I bet that was no help to you.The thing that puzzles me is that MRI/NMR sensors only acquire "bulk data" on the net magnetization of the sample. With an FT this can be changed into data about the specific relaxation energies and times for the sample, but I can't imagine how that sort of bulk data is processed into an image.

I am assuming off the top of my head that they only affect a really small area with every pulse, thus you get the relaxations of, say, an area a score of atoms across, and thus can say "Thats intracellular fluid" or something like that. I was wandering about this after I posted, and thats all I can come up with off the top of my head, and I dont have time to read up on it.