Multi-parametric Z-spectral MRI may have a good performance for glioma stratification in clinical patients.

• Multiple contrasts contributing to Z-spectra were separately fitted with Lorentzian functions. • Z-spectral contrasts were compared within the three most important and common tumor risk stratifications for gliomas: tumor grade, IDH genotype, and 1p/19q codeletion status. • The stratification performance of individual Z-spectral contrasts and their combination was quantified using receiver operating characteristic analyses, which found Z-spectral MRI to be a useful and comprehensive imaging biomarker for glioma stratification.