In MRI, T1 and T2 images refer to ______.

In MRI, T1 and T2 images refer to ______.

• A. Pulse timing
• B. Spatial resolution
• C. Physical properties of tissues after exposure to pulses
• D. Magnet strength

Answer: (C)

T1 and T2 describe relaxation properties of tissues after RF pulses. These are intrinsic physical properties that dictate how protons return to equilibrium (T1) and how quickly they lose phase coherence (T2), which in turn shapes image contrast on T1- or T2-weighted scans. They’re not about pulse timing alone, nor about spatial resolution or magnet strength. The weighting you see in images comes from how tissue relaxation times interact with the chosen pulse sequence parameters (TR and TE), so T1 and T2 reflect the tissue’s inherent relaxation behavior after exposure to the pulses. For example, fat tends to have a short T1 and appears bright on T1-weighted images, while fluids with long T2 appear bright on T2-weighted images.

T1 and T2 describe relaxation properties of tissues after RF pulses. These are intrinsic physical properties that dictate how protons return to equilibrium (T1) and how quickly they lose phase coherence (T2), which in turn shapes image contrast on T1- or T2-weighted scans. They’re not about pulse timing alone, nor about spatial resolution or magnet strength. The weighting you see in images comes from how tissue relaxation times interact with the chosen pulse sequence parameters (TR and TE), so T1 and T2 reflect the tissue’s inherent relaxation behavior after exposure to the pulses. For example, fat tends to have a short T1 and appears bright on T1-weighted images, while fluids with long T2 appear bright on T2-weighted images.