Divya S. Bolar1,2, Bruce R. Rosen1, A Gregory Sorensen1, Elfar Adalsteinsson1,2
1A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, HST/MGH/HMS/MIT, Charlestown, MA, USA; 2Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
While oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) are fundamental parameters in neuropathology and functional neuroactivation, a robust MRI-based OEF/CMRO2 mapping technique has not been established. OEF/CMRO2 mapping requires isolating signal from post-capillary venular blood to measure venular oxygen saturation (Yv). We propose and demonstrate a novel method to isolate this signal using velocity selective spin-labeling. We subsequently estimate T2 of PCV blood, convert T2 to Yv with a calibration curve, compute OEF from Yv, and baseline CMRO2 from OEF and CBF. This approach is dubbed QUantitative Imaging of eXtraction of Oxygen and TIssue Consumption (QUIXOTIC).