Welcome to MR Atlas!

Welcome to MR Atlas!#

MR atlas is a place to browse models, tutorials, hardware notes, code, and curated external resources. Like an atlas featuring all the notable locations you will find concise explanations, practical guides, and links to the best open resources.

Background: A short history of medical imaging#

Medical imaging is quite recent in the history of medicine. Here is a short timeline to show how it developed:

  • 1895 – X-rays (Röntgen): first non-invasive imaging of the human body.

  • 1927 – Angiography: blood vessels visualized with contrast.

  • 1950s – Ultrasound: safe imaging with sound waves.

  • 1955 – Nuclear medicine: gamma cameras and functional scans.

  • 1967 – CT scans: cross-sectional X-ray images.

  • 1973 – MRI: first human MRI images, opening a completely new way of imaging soft tissue.

  • 1980s – fMRI and Diffusion MRI: mapping brain activity and white matter.

  • 1990s – PET/CT fusion: combined anatomy and function.

  • 2000s – PET/MRI: hybrid systems.

This timeline shows why MRI is considered cutting edge: it is one of the newest major imaging technologies, and it continues to develop quickly.

What makes MRI unique#

Unlike X-ray or CT, MRI does not use ionizing radiation. It also has several features that are unique to it:

  • Diffusion MRI (DWI/DTI): measures microscopic water motion, used in stroke and brain connectivity.

  • Functional MRI (fMRI): detects brain activity through blood oxygen changes.

  • MR Spectroscopy (MRS): gives information on tissue metabolites non-invasively.

  • Quantitative mapping: provides physics-based tissue properties.

  • Susceptibility imaging (SWI, QSM): shows veins, iron, and microbleeds.

  • MR Elastography: measures stiffness of organs like the liver.

These capabilities make MRI not only different but also irreplaceable for many applications in research and clinical practice.