Dependence of Gradient Echo Phase Contrast on the Differential Signal Decay in Subcellular Compartments

Wei Li¹, Hui Han¹, Arnaud Guidon¹, Chunlei Liu¹, ²

Phase images of gradient-recalled echo (GRE) have provided a new contrast for MRI. It is well known that the magnitude contrast of GRE signal changes as a function of sequence parameters including TR, TE and flip angle. The dependence of phase contrast on these parameters, however, has not been explored. In fact, phase contrast has largely been assumed in the literature to be insensitive to sequence parameters. We show that phase contrast has a profound dependence on sequence parameters that can be described by a multi-compartment model. This dependence may provide further insights of the mechanisms of susceptibility contrast.