Methodological improvements in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging and spectroscopy have enabled the application of these techniques to the study of functional or dynamic biological processes. Because the techniques are non-invasive, repeated measurements can be made in the same animal at different time points, allowing disease progression and regression to be followed during drug therapy. In this review, Markus Rudin, Wolfgang Zierhut, André Sauter and Nigel Cook illustrate this concept by the use of NMR to evaluate cardiovascular function in the rat in various physiological and pathological situations. The possibility of using NMR to perform similar studies in both animals and humans should lead to the design of preclinical models with an improved clinical predictability.