Magnetic resonance imaging to measure myelin: orientation dependence and application to spinal cord injury

Myelin, the lipid-rich sheath which wraps around axons, has complex and unique physical and chemical properties which can be used to produce magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast. Developing MRI to quantitatively measure myelin is vital for monitoring the brain and spinal cord in health and disease. This thesis explores four MRI techniques sensitive to myelin; myelin water imaging (MWI), magnetisation transfer (MT), inhomogeneous magnetisation transfer (ihMT) and diffusion imaging.