ABSTRACT
Magnetization transfer (MT) effects in tissues broadly classify
saturation transfer effects arising from protons in macromolecules
and semisolid components, the saturation of which is transferred to
thewater pool via spin exchange and/or cross relaxation [1, 2]. A key
feature of theseMT effects is that they are broadbandwith respect to
the frequency offset for the saturation, which may be a result of the
broad dipolar spectra that are characteristic of rigid components.
In addition, it has been reported that MT effects are generally
asymmetric around the water resonance, thereby complicating their
elimination by a simple symmetrization or subtraction technique
in evaluating chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) effects.
Such interferences have been reported when in vivo CEST effects
were measured [3-5], which can result in the false identification of
CEST effects and incorrect interpretations regarding metabolic and
pathologic processes.
