Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems and methods using adiabatic tip-down and matched adiabatic flip-back pulses

1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MM) system comprising:

a signal generator configured to generate a pulse sequence for on-resonance magnetization transfer preparation, the pulse sequence comprising an adiabatic tip-down pulse and a matched adiabatic flip-back pulse for separating spins in a mobile spin pool from spins in a bound spin pool of an anatomical region of interest for imaging, wherein the pulse sequence comprises a time delay between the spatially non-selective adiabatic tip-down pulse and the matched adiabatic spatially non-selective flip-back pulse, and wherein the matched adiabatic flip-back pulse has the time-reversed amplitude modulation function and the time-reversed phase modulation function relative to the respective functions of a tip-down pulse;

a plurality of radio frequency (RF) coils configured to transmit RF pulses in response to the pulse sequence and to acquire RF data in response to transmission of the RF pulses; and

a processing system configured to process the RF data to provide a display image indicating different tissue types with discrimination.

2. A method comprising:

at a magnetic resonance imaging (MM) system:

generating a pulse sequence for on-resonance magnetization transfer preparation, the pulse sequence comprising an adiabatic tip-down pulse and a matched adiabatic flip-back pulse for separating spins in a mobile spin pool from spins in a bound spin pool of an anatomical region of interest for imaging, wherein the pulse sequence comprises a time delay between the spatially non-selective adiabatic tip-down pulse and the matched adiabatic spatially non-selective flip-back pulse, and wherein the matched adiabatic flip-back pulse has the time-reversed amplitude modulation function and the time-reversed phase modulation function relative to the respective functions of a tip-down pulse;

transmitting RF pulses in response to the pulse sequence and to acquire RF data in response to transmission of the RF pulses; and

processing the RF data to provide a display image indicating different tissue types with discrimination.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the time delay is a first time delay, and wherein the signal generator is configured to produce a second time delay after the flip-back pulse.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pulse sequence comprises at least one other set of adiabatic tip-down pulse and a matched adiabatic flip-back pulse.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the pulse sequence comprises a second time delay between the adiabatic tip-down pulse and the matched adiabatic flip-back pulse in the at least one other set and a third time delay being followed by a gradient pulse for substantially reducing transverse magnetization of the anatomical region of interest.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein said second time delay is zero.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pulse sequence for magnetization transfer preparation ends with a second time delay, the second time delay being followed by a gradient pulse for substantially reducing transverse magnetization of the anatomical region of interest.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the second time delay is zero.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both adiabatic half passages, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both adiabatic fast passages, and

wherein the modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both B1-insensitive pulses with 4 half passages (B1-insensitive rotation, BIR4), and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both tan/tan h modulated pulses, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both FOCI pulses, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both GOIA pulses, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both adiabatic half passages, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both adiabatic fast passages, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the signal generator is configured to produce a first time delay between the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse and a second time delay after the flip-back pulse, and

wherein the first time delay and the second time delay are adaptively selected based on type of tissue or blood discrimination to be performed.

18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the adiabatic flip-back and the tip-down pulses have two segments and a last flip-back pulse is replaced with an adiabatic inversion pulse which has four segments, and

wherein the first two segments of said inversion pulse have the time-mirrored modulation functions of the tip-down pulse modulation functions.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein a trailing adiabatic inversion pulse is applied after a gradient pulse for substantially creating inverted magnetization transfer contrast in the anatomical region of interest.

20. The method of claim 2 , wherein the time delay is a first time delay, and wherein the signal generator is configured to produce a second time delay after the flip-back pulse.

21. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pulse sequence comprises at least one other set of adiabatic tip-down pulse and a matched adiabatic flip-back pulse.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the pulse sequence comprises a second time delay between the adiabatic tip-down pulse and the matched adiabatic flip-back pulse in the at least one other set and a third time delay being followed by a gradient pulse for substantially reducing transverse magnetization of the anatomical region of interest.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein said second time delay is zero.

24. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pulse sequence for magnetization transfer preparation ends with a second time delay, the second time delay being followed by a gradient pulse for substantially reducing transverse magnetization of the anatomical region of interest.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the second time delay is zero.

26. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both adiabatic half passages, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

27. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both adiabatic fast passages, and

wherein the modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

28. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both B1-insensitive pulses with 4 half passages (B1-insensitive rotation, BIR4), and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

29. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both tan/tan h modulated pulses, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

30. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both FOCI pulses, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

31. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both GOIA pulses, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

32. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both adiabatic half passages, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

33. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse are both adiabatic fast passages, and

wherein modulation of the flip-back pulse is a time-mirrored function of the tip-down pulse.

34. The method of claim 2 , wherein the signal generator is configured to produce a first time delay between the tip-down pulse and the flip-back pulse and a second time delay after the flip-back pulse, and

wherein the first time delay and the second time delay are adaptively selected based on type of tissue or blood discrimination to be performed.

35. The method of claim 2 , wherein the adiabatic flip-back and the tip-down pulses have two segments and a last flip-back pulse is replaced with an adiabatic inversion pulse which has four segments, and

wherein the first two segments of said inversion pulse have the time-mirrored modulation functions of the tip-down pulse modulation functions.

36. The method of claim 35 , wherein a trailing adiabatic inversion pulse is applied after a gradient pulse for substantially creating inverted magnetization transfer contrast in the anatomical region of interest.