title: Distribution of hyperpolarized xenon in the brain following sensory stimulation: preliminary MRI findings.
abstract: In hyperpolarized xenon magnetic resonance imaging (HP (129)Xe MRI), the inhaled spin-1/2 isotope of xenon gas is used to generate the MR signal. Because hyperpolarized xenon is an MR signal source with properties very different from those generated from water-protons, HP (129)Xe MRI may yield structural and functional information not detectable by conventional proton-based MRI methods. Here we demonstrate the differential distribution of HP (129)Xe in the cerebral cortex of the rat following a pain stimulus evoked in the animal's forepaw. Areas of higher HP (129)Xe signal corresponded to those areas previously demonstrated by conventional functional MRI (fMRI) methods as being activated by a forepaw pain stimulus. The percent increase in HP (129)Xe signal over baseline was 13-28%, and was detectable with a single set of pre and post stimulus images. Recent innovations in the production of highly polarized (129)Xe should make feasible the emergence of HP (129)Xe MRI as a viable adjunct method to conventional MRI for the study of brain function and disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Mazzanti
authors.forename: Ronn P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Walvick
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Niral
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Joey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gereige
authors.forename: Mitchell S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Albert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012677:Sensation / Q000187:drug effects*; D014978:Xenon / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014979:Xenon Isotopes
chemical_list: D014979:Xenon Isotopes; D014978:Xenon