Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Methods and Biologic Applications, Vol. 124 ======================================================================= *P.V. Prasad, ed. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press; 2006, 447 pages, 148 illustrations, $135.* This book fills a niche in the current MR imaging literature by providing a collection of the most powerful MR imaging techniques being used currently. It also succeeds in conveying the variety of state-of-the-art MR imaging biologic applications in such a way that a person without extensive knowledge in MR imaging can make sense of this complex field of study. Because of the important topics that this book covers from functional/metabolic studies to molecular imaging, it is a great tool to introduce someone to the sensitivity and effectiveness of MR imaging. The organization of the book is straightforward and easy to follow, with a structure of 5 distinct sections. The chapters within each section were appropriately selected to facilitate the reader’s comprehension of these complex topics. These sections include “Introduction,” “Anatomy,” “Physiology,” “Pathophysiology,” and “Novel Contrast Agents and Mechanisms.” The introduction contains a chapter that qualitatively covers the fundamentals of MR imaging and MR spectroscopy and a chapter discussing the basics and challenges of MR microscopy. The anatomy section focuses on MR microscopy characterizing mouse brain development, fetal development, and mouse phenotyping. The “Physiology” and “Pathophysiology” sections demonstrate the sensitivity of MR imaging experimental methods to characterize normal physiology as well as pathologic conditions. Examples of some areas covered include ischemia, tumor physiology, and tissue perfusion using investigative MR imaging methods, including perfusion imaging, functional MR imaging, proton and phosphorus spectroscopy, diffusion imaging, and exogenous contrast agents. The final section, “Novel Contrast Agents and Mechanisms,” describes new exogenous contrast agents, including hyperpolarized xenon gas, superparamagnetic iron-oxides and manganese, and the new areas of investigation these agents provide. Although the book focuses on methods and biologic applications, it wisely does not cover all applications of MR imaging to maintain the focus. This text covers the essentials of MR imaging and MR spectroscopy and provides relevant research and application examples demonstrating the utility of MR imaging. The book was written for an audience with limited MR imaging exposure and provides a concise overview of the physics, engineering, and biology involved. The text is very accurate, with an occasional poor choice in wording, which may lead the readers to incorrect assumptions. The references are both current and comprehensive and would aid the reader who requires more detail on a topic or methodologies on particular experiments. Not only are the references comprehensive but also well described in the text, thus eliminating a time-consuming search of the expansive reference list. Most books in this area focus on either the clinical utility or the physics and engineering behind MR imaging. This text fits into neither category and focuses instead on the cutting edge and current biologic research in the area. Although this text is unlikely to be a primary textbook to either clinicians or physicists, it is a nice addition to the libraries of both groups. The biggest criticism about this book is related to the images and their captions. Although many of the images on the companion CD are in vivid color and clearly demonstrate the point, they are, unfortunately, converted to gray-scale for the text. In many cases, the gray-scale counterparts in the text do not convey the message of the text and serve to confuse the reader. Furthermore, no effort was made to alter the text, resulting in the images being described in color when none is present. In addition, there are no disclaimers in the figure captions stating that the color images are available on the CD. The quality of the figure captions and legends varies from chapter to chapter, but overall these captions and legends are descriptive as well as relevant. However, some chapters have captions that are entirely too descriptive, and the excessive content should have been removed and placed in a proper location in the text. Although the text is well written and organized, the teaching value of the book is limited. The clinical utility of the text is minimal because of the focus of the book on experimental MR imaging and MR spectroscopy in animal models. This book may be a good reference for a research neuroradiologist interested in using the MR imaging techniques described, but a clinical neuroradiologist would have little need for such a book. Moreover, the teaching usefulness to a biomedical engineering or medical physics audience is also limited because of the lack of specific mathematic or engineering detail provided. The audiences that will benefit most from this text, as acknowledged by the editor, are biologic scientists in the fields of neuroscience, physiology, and other related fields who may be unaware of the experimental sensitivity that MR imaging provides. This book provides a resource for scientists and students who are interested in using MR imaging by providing a thorough qualitative description of the fundamentals of MR imaging along with reviews of several important and cutting-edge MR imaging research areas. For MR imaging scientists and experts, this text may provide an easy-to-read review on subjects unfamiliar to them, along with comprehensive references providing the link to the more specific details these professionals require. I believe that this book will impart to the reader how powerful MR imaging and MR spectroscopy can be in areas of biologic research and not just their clinical diagnostic utility. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the experimental utility of MR imaging. ![Figure1](http://www.ajnr.org/https://www.ajnr.org/content/ajnr/27/9/2014a/F1.medium.gif) [Figure1](http://www.ajnr.org/content/27/9/2014a/F1) * Copyright © American Society of Neuroradiology