Brain and blood vessels of a healthy female adult, MRI

Merged images from two types of MRI scan depicting the posterior half of the brain of a healthy female adult. High resolution images of tissue structures in the brain were obtained with an anatomical MRI scan. Magnetic resonance angiography scanning was used to image the large blood vessels in the brain and provide functional information about the tissue. Arteries (smaller red streamlines) and the large draining veins (larger yellow streamlines) are visible. No injection of contrast agent was required. Contrast in the images was tailored so that inflowing blood appears much brighter than the surrounding tissue. This image was then segmented so that only the brighter blood remains. Using this technique images of the large arteries or veins can be created, which can be useful when investigating pathologies that interrupt the blood supply to the brain, such as a stroke.