The effects of cerebral ischemia in rat brain were monitored as a function of time using proton MR imaging. Spin-spin relaxation time (T2), proton density, and magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) were measured by MR imaging at various time intervals during a 1-week period following the induction of ischemic damage. Ischemic injury was characterized by a maximization of both T2 value and MTC appearance at 24 hr postischemic injury. These changes were accompanied by a gradual increase in MR observable water density over the first few days of ischemia. A reduction in the magnetization exchange rate between "free" and "bound" water protons as measured by MTC imaging is at least partially responsible for the elevation in T2 values observed during ischemia, and may accompany breakdown of cellular structure.