Normal axial MRI of the brain at the level of the orbits and midbrain highlighting the different signal characteristics depending on the water content and bound state of tissue. A, T1-weighted image with contrast shows cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and vitreous as hypointense (dark), orbital fat as hyperintense (bright), and gray matter as relatively hypointense compared with white matter. B, T2-weighted image shows that CSF, vitreous, and orbital fat are hyperintense and gray matter is hyperintense compared with white matter. C, Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery image shows that orbital fat is hyperintense; however, vitreous and CSF appear hypointense, which facilitates detection of abnormalities in periventricular tissue.