Brain MRI with laser-polarized 129 xe

The feasibility of brain MRI with laser-polarized 129 Xe in a small animal model is demonstrated. Naturally abundant 129 Xe is polarized and introduced into the lungs of Sprague-Dawley rats. Polarized xenon gas dissolves in the blood and is transported to the brain where it accumulates in brain tissue. Spectroscopic studies reveal a single, dominant, tissue-phase NMR resonance in the head at 194.5 ppm relative to the gas phase resonance. Images of 129 Xe in the rat head were obtained with 98-Μl voxels by 2D chemical shift imaging and show that xenon is localized to the brain. This work establishes that nuclear polarization produced in the gas phases survives transport to the brain where it may be imaged. Increases in polarization and delivered volume of 129 Xe will allow clinical measurements of regional cerebral blood flow.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/38493/1/sgml.1232