Fig 4. Sagittal T2-weighted MR images (A), color map of the T2 relaxation times in a sagittal section (B), and surface contour plot of T2 relaxation times in a sagittal section (C) for an L2-L3 disk in a 19-year-old subject, displayed in the same manner as Fig 3. This plot shows a band of diminished T2 values in the central portion of the disk, where fibrous tissue content increases during maturation of the disk. This band is found commonly in the 19- and 20-year-olds in this study and rarely in the younger subjects.