Method and apparatus for mitigating the effect of magnetization transfer in model-based magnetic resonance techniques

A magnetic resonance (MR) apparatus comprising:

• an MR data acquisition scanner;
• a computer configured to operate said MR data acquisition scanner, while a subject is situated therein, in order to execute multiple repetitions of an MR data acquisition sequence that includes radiating a radio-frequency (RF) pulse that excites certain nuclear spins in the subject, so as to produce and then acquire an MR signal from the subject, said RF pulses producing magnetization transfer (MT) between the excited nuclear spins in the subject;
• said computer being configured to change said MR data acquisition sequence while operating said MR data acquisition scanner, from repetition-to-repetition in order to encode effects of said MT in the MR signals respectively acquired in each repetition;
• said computer being configured to generate a model composed of at least two molecule pools, in which a single MT parameter is used, which is derived from said MR signals in which said MT is encoded;
• said computer being configured to compare at least one MR signal evolution from said subject to at least one signal evolution produced by said model, in order to identify a nuclear spin-dependent attribute of the subject from a result of the comparison;
• and
• said computer being configured to generate an electrical output signal representing said attribute, and presenting a visual depiction of said attribute at an output interface of said computer.