Imaging gray brain matter with a double-inversion pulse sequence to suppress CSF and white matter signals

The design of a double-inversion recovery (DIR) sequence, to selectively image gray brain matter, is described. A suitable choice of inversion times allows the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and white matter to be suppressed, to image the cortex alone. Consistently good results were achieved in a group of normal volunteers using the same inversion times throughout. The DIR sequence was found give clear delineation of the complex folds of the cerebral cortex.