The selective excitation of spins in only a limited region of space. This can be particularly useful for spectroscopy as well as imaging. Spatial localization of the signal source may be achieved through spatially selective excitation and the resulting signal may be analyzed directly for the spectrum corresponding to the excited region. It is usually achieved with selective excitation.
Typically, a single dimension of localization can be achieved with one selective RF excitation pulse (and a magnetic field gradient along a desired direction), while a localized volume (3D) can be excited with a stimulated echo produced with three selective RF pulses whose selective magnetic field gradients are mutually orthogonal, having a common intersection in the desired region. Similar 'crossed plane' excitation can be used with selective 180° refocusing pulses and conventional spin echoes.
A degree of spatial localization of excitation can alternatively be achieved with depth pulses, e.g. when using surface coils for excitation as well as signal detection. An indirect application of selective excitation for volume-selected spectroscopy is to use appropriate combinations of signals acquired after selective inversion of different regions, in order to subtract away the signal from undesired regions.

(GRE - sequence) A gradient echo is generated by using a pair of bipolar gradient pulses. In the pulse sequence timing diagram, the basic gradient echo sequence is illustrated. There is no refocusing 180° pulse and the data are sampled during a gradient echo, which is achieved by dephasing the spins with a negatively pulsed gradient before they are rephased by an opposite gradient with opposite polarity to generate the echo.
See also the Pulse Sequence Timing Diagram. There you will find a description of the components.
The excitation pulse is termed the alpha pulse α. It tilts the magnetization by a flip angle α, which is typically between 0° and 90°. With a small flip angle there is a reduction in the value of transverse magnetization that will affect subsequent RF pulses. The flip angle can also be slowly increased during data acquisition (variable flip angle: tilt optimized nonsaturation excitation). The data are not acquired in a steady state, where z-magnetization recovery and destruction by ad-pulses are balanced. However, the z-magnetization is used up by tilting a little more of the remaining z-magnetization into the xy-plane for each acquired imaging line.
Gradient echo imaging is typically accomplished by examining the FID, whereas the read gradient is turned on for localization of the signal in the readout direction. T2* is the characteristic decay time constant associated with the FID. The contrast and signal generated by a gradient echo depend on the size of the longitudinal magnetization and the flip angle. When α = 90° the sequence is identical to the so-called partial saturation or saturation recovery pulse sequence. In standard GRE imaging, this basic pulse sequence is repeated as many times as image lines have to be acquired. Additional gradients or radio frequency pulses are introduced with the aim to spoil to refocus the xy-magnetization at the moment when the spin system is subject to the next α pulse.
As a result of the short repetition time, the z-magnetization cannot fully recover and after a few initial α pulses there is an equilibrium established between z-magnetization recovery and z-magnetization reduction due to the α pulses.
Gradient echoes have a lower SAR, are more sensitive to field inhomogeneities and have a reduced crosstalk, so that a small or no slice gap can be used. In or out of phase imaging depending on the selected TE (and field strength of the magnet) is possible. As the flip angle is decreased, T1 weighting can be maintained by reducing the TR. T2* weighting can be minimized by keeping the TE as short as possible, but pure T2 weighting is not possible. By using a reduced flip angle, some of the magnetization value remains longitudinal (less time needed to achieve full recovery) and for a certain T1 and TR, there exist one flip angle that will give the most signal, known as the "Ernst angle".
Contrast values:
PD weighted: Small flip angle (no T1), long TR (no T1) and short TE (no T2*)
T1 weighted: Large flip angle (70°), short TR (less than 50ms) and short TE
T2* weighted: Small flip angle, some longer TR (100 ms) and long TE (20 ms)

Classification of GRE sequences can be made into four categories:

• T1 weighted or incoherent/(RF or gradient) spoiled GRE sequences
• T1/T2* weighted or coherent/refocused GRE sequences
• T2 weighted contrast enhanced GRE sequences
• ultrafast GRE sequences

See also Gradient Recalled Echo Sequence, Spoiled Gradient Echo Sequence, Refocused Gradient Echo Sequence, Ultrafast Gradient Echo Sequence.

(GE) An echo signal generated from a free induction decay by means of a bipolar switched magnetic gradient. The echo is produced by reversing the direction of a magnetic field gradient or by applying balanced pulses of magnetic field gradient before and after a refocusing RF pulse so as to cancel out the position dependent phase shifts that have accumulated due to the gradient.
In the latter case, the gradient echo is generally adjusted to be coincident with the RF spin echo. When the RF and gradient echoes are not coincident, the time of the gradient echo is denoted echo time (TE) and the difference in time between the echoes is denoted time difference (TD).
Gradient echo does not refocus the effects of main field inhomogeneity and therefore is generally used with a short echo time. Disadvantages of gradient echo imaging are compromised anatomic details and artifacts in regions with varying susceptibility e.g. between the air-containing sinuses and brain and especially between haemorrhages and normal tissue.

See also Susceptibility Artifact.

(GMR) The application of strategic gradient pulses can compensate the objectionable spin phase effects of flow motion. That means the reducing of flow effects, e.g. gradient moment nulling of the first order of flow. The simplest velocity-compensated pulse sequence is the symmetrical second echo of a spin echo pulse sequence.
Gradient field changes can be configured in such a way that during an echo the magnetization signal vectors for all pixels have zero phase angle independent of velocities, accelerations etc. of the measured tissue. E.g. the adjustment to zero at the time TE of the net moments of the amplitude of the waveform of the magnetic field gradients with time. The zeroth moment is the area under the curve, the first moment is the 'center of gravity' etc. The aim is to minimize the phase shifts acquired by the transverse magnetization of excited nuclei moving along the gradients (including the effect of refocusing RF pulses), particularly for the reduction of image artifacts due to motion.
Also called Flow Compensation (FC), Motion Artifact Suppression Technique (MAST), Flow motion compression (STILL), Gradient Rephasing (GR), Shimadzu Motion Artifact Reduction Technique (SMART).

(RE MRI) There are several approaches to speeding up the MRI data acquisition process by repeating the excitation by RF pulses in times short compared to T1, typically using small flip angles and gradient echo refocusing. When TR is also on the order of or shorter than T2, the repeated RF pulses will tend to refocus transverse magnetization remaining from prior excitations, setting up a condition of steady state free precession, and a dependence of signal strength (and image contrast) on both T1 and T2.
This can be modified in various ways, particularly:
1) to spoil the tendency to build up a steady state by reducing coherence between excitations, e.g. by variation of the phase or timing of consecutive RF pulses or of the strength of spoiler gradient pulses, thus increasing the relative dependence of signal strength on T1 or
2) acquire the signal when it is refocusing immediately prior to the next RF pulse, thus increasing the relative dependence of signal strength on T2.

See also Ultrafast Gradient Echo Sequence.