In hyperpolarized xenon magnetic resonance imaging (HP 129Xe 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 129Xe MRI may yield structural and functional information not detectable by conventional proton-based MRI methods. Here we demonstrate the differential distribution of HP 129Xe in the cerebral cortex of the rat following a pain stimulus evoked in the animal's forepaw. Areas of higher HP 129Xe 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 129Xe 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 129Xe should make feasible the emergence of HP 129Xe MRI as a viable adjunct method to conventional MRI for the study of brain function and disease. © 2011 Mazzanti et al.
CITATION STYLE
Mazzanti, M. L., Walvick, R. P., Zhou, X., Sun, Y., Shah, N., Mansour, J., … Albert, M. S. (2011). Distribution of hyperpolarized xenon in the brain following sensory stimulation: Preliminary MRI findings. PLoS ONE, 6(7). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0021607
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