However, these papers did not describe the temporal profile of spinal degenerative disease. Understanding the pathogenesis of vertebral subluxation, and the basic principles of MRI, will enable the chiropractor to better assess the timing and sequence of spinal degenerative changes.
Structures containing fat appear bright.
In the spine, the vertebral bodies contain marrow fat. In the absence of pathology, vertebral bodies will appear relatively bright on T-1 weighted images. In pathologies where the marrow fat is replaced, the signal intensity will be altered, and the vertebral bodies will appear brighter or darker, depending upon the tissue replacing the normal marrow fat. Water rich structures, such as the nucleus pulposus and CSF appear light. Fat containing structures appear dark.