title: Effect of inflow of fresh blood on vascular-space-occupancy (VASO) contrast.
abstract: In vascular-space-occupancy (VASO)-MRI, cerebral blood volume (CBV)-weighted contrast is generated by applying a nonselective inversion pulse followed by imaging when blood water magnetization is zero. An uncertainty in VASO relates to the completeness of blood water nulling. Specifically, radio frequency (RF) coils produce a finite inversion volume, rendering the possibility of fresh, non-nulled blood. Here, VASO-functional MRI (fMRI) was performed for varying inversion volume and TR using body coil RF transmission. For thin inversion volume thickness (delta(tot) < 10 mm), VASO signal changes were positive (DeltaS/S = 2.1-2.6%). Signal changes were negative and varied in magnitude for intermediate inversion volumes (delta(tot) = 100-300 mm), yet did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) for delta(tot) > 300 mm. These data suggest that blood water is in steady state for delta(tot) > 300 mm. In this appropriate range, long-TR VASO data converged to a less negative value (DeltaS/S = -1.4% +/- 0.2%) than short-TR data (DeltaS/S = -2.2% +/- 0.2%), implying that cerebral blood flow or transit-state effects may influence VASO contrast at short TR.
authors.affiliation: Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Division of MR Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Manus J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Donahue
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: James J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Pekar
authors.forename: Peter C M
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: van Zijl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000502:physiology*