Part I. Basics of MRI 1. Physical Basics of NMR Rolf Pohmann 2. Spatial Encoding - Basic Imaging Sequences Rolf Pohmann 3. Basic Contrast Mechanisms Leif Schröder and Cornelius Faber 4. Scanner Components Volker Behr 5. Small Animal Preparation and Handling in MRI Patrick McConville Part II. Special Techniques 6. Cerebral Perfusion MRI in Mice Frank Kober, Guillaume Duhamel, and Virginie Callot 7. High Field Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Small Animals and Excised Tissue Bernadette Erokwu, Chris Flask, and Vikas Gulani 8. The BOLD Effect Joan M. Greve 9. Screening of CEST MR Contrast Agents Xiaolei Song, Kannie W.Y. Chan, and Michael T. McMahon 10. Hyperpolarized Noble Gases as Contrast Agents Xin Zhou 11. Hyperpolarized Molecules in Solution Jan Henrik Ardenkjaer-Larsen, Haukur Jóhannesson, Stefan J. Petersson, and Jan Wolber 12. MR Oximetry Jeff F. Dunn 13. MRI using Intermolecular Multiple-Quantum Coherences Rosa T. Branca Part III. Brain Applications 14. Experimental Stroke Research: The Contributions of In vivo MRI Therése Kallur and Mathias Hoehn 15. Volumetry and Other Quantitative Measurements to Assess the Rodent Brain Alize Scheenstra, Jouke Dijkstra, and Louise van der Weerd 16. Models of Neurodegenerative Disease - Alzheimer's Anatomical and Amyloid Plaque Imaging Alexandra Petiet, Benoit Delatour, and Marc Dhenain 17. MRI in Animal Models of Psychiatric Disorders Dana S. Poole, Melly S. Oitzl, and Louise van der Weerd 18. Spectroscopic Imaging of the Mouse Brain Dennis W. J. Klomp and W. Klaas Jan Renema Part IV. Spine Applications 19. Spinal Cord - MR of Rodent Models Virginie Callot, Guillaume Duhamel, and Frank Kober Part V. Cardiovascular Applications 20. Assessment of Cardiac Function Jürgen E. Schneider 21. Plaque Imaging in Murine Models of Cardiovascular Disease Gert Klug, Volker Herold, and Karl-Heinz Hiller 22. Interventional MRI in the Cardiovascular System Harald H. Quick 23. MR for the Investigation of Murine Vasculature Christoph Jacoby and Ulrich Flögel Part VI. Lung Applications 24. MRI of the Lung: Non-invasive Protocols and Applications to Small Animal Models of Lung Disease Magdalena Zurek and Yannick Crémillieux Part VII. Cancer Models 25. Characterization of Tumor Vasculature in Mouse Brain by USPIO Contrast-enhanced MRI Giulio Gambarota and William Leenders 26. Cancer Models - A Multiparametric Application of M