The magnetic polarization of a material produced by a magnetic field (magnetic moment per unit volume).

See also Macroscopic Magnetization Vector.

(Mo) Equilibrium value of the magnetization;; directed along the direction of the static magnetic field. Proportional to spin density (N).

The integration of all the individual nuclear magnetic moments, which have a positive magnetization value at equilibrium versus those in a random state.

(MT) Magnetization Transfer was accidentally discovered by Wolff and Balaban in 1989. Conventional MRI is based on the differences in T1, T2 and the proton density (water content and the mobility of water molecules) in tissue; it relies primarily on free (bulk) water protons. The T2 relaxation times are greater than 10 ms and detectable. The T2 relaxation times of protons associated with macromolecules are less then 1 ms and not detectable in MRI.
Magnetization Transfer Imaging (MTI) is based on the magnetization interaction (through dipolar and/or chemical exchange) between bulk water protons and macromolecular protons. By applying an off resonance radio frequency pulse to the macromolecular protons, the saturation of these protons is then transferred to the bulk water protons. The result is a decrease in signal (the net magnetization of visible protons is reduced), depending on the magnitude of MT between tissue macromolecules and bulk water. With MTI, the presence or absence of macromolecules (e.g. in membranes, brain tissue) can be seen.
The magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) is the difference in signal intensity with or without MT.

See also Magnetization Transfer Contrast.

Hydrogen nuclei magnetic moments are randomly oriented in the absence of an external magnetic field and are considered to have a net magnetization of zero. Once hydrogen protons are placed in the presence of an external magnetic field, they align themselves in one of two directions, parallel or anti parallel to the net magnetic field, which is commonly referred to as the vector B0. The parallel and anti parallel protons cancel each other out, only the small number of low energy protons left aligned with the magnetic field create the overall net magnetization, this difference is all that counts. The magnetic moments of these protons are added together and are referred to as net magnetization vector (NMV) or the symbol 'M'.

See also Magnetization Transfer Contrast.