ex-vivo MRI of the Brain: Effects of Long-Term Formalin Exposure on T1 Relaxation Times

Mekala R. Raman¹, Yunhong Shu¹, John D. Port¹, Jan-Mendelt Tillema¹, Istvan Pirko¹, Clifford R. Jack¹, Kejal Kantarci¹

Our objective was to determine the effects of fixation on T1 relaxation of gray matter and white matter in ex vivo brain MRI for optimization of MPRAGE and DIR sequences. We found that T1 relaxation times of fixed brain tissue attenuate over time. Effects of formalin exposure on tissue relaxation time appear to be greater for gray matter than white matter.