Creatine mapping of the brain at 3T by CEST MRI
Kexin Wang
F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJianpan Huang
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Search for more papers by this authorLicheng Ju
F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorSu Xu
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorRao P. Gullapalli
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorYajie Liang
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJoshua Rogers
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorYuguo Li
F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorPeter C. M. van Zijl
F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorRobert G. Weiss
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorKannie W. Y. Chan
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-Cardiovascular Health Engineering (COCHE), Hong Kong, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jiadi Xu
F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Correspondence
Jiadi Xu, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, 707 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorKexin Wang
F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJianpan Huang
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Search for more papers by this authorLicheng Ju
F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorSu Xu
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorRao P. Gullapalli
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorYajie Liang
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJoshua Rogers
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorYuguo Li
F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorPeter C. M. van Zijl
F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorRobert G. Weiss
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Search for more papers by this authorKannie W. Y. Chan
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-Cardiovascular Health Engineering (COCHE), Hong Kong, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jiadi Xu
F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Correspondence
Jiadi Xu, Kennedy Krieger Research Institute, 707 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, 21205.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Purpose
To assess the feasibility of CEST-based creatine (Cr) mapping in brain at 3T using the guanidino (Guan) proton resonance.
Methods
Wild type and knockout mice with guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase deficiency and low Cr and phosphocreatine (PCr) concentrations in the brain were used to assign the Cr and protein-based arginine contributions to the GuanCEST signal at 2.0 ppm. To quantify the Cr proton exchange rate, two-step Bloch–McConnell fitting was used to fit the extracted CrCEST line-shape and multi-B1 Z-spectral data. The pH response of GuanCEST was simulated to demonstrate its potential for pH mapping.
Results
Brain Z-spectra of wild type and guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase deficiency mice show a clear Guan proton peak at 2.0 ppm at 3T. The CrCEST signal contributes ∼23% to the GuanCEST signal at B1 = 0.8 μT, where a maximum CrCEST effect of 0.007 was detected. An exchange rate range of 200–300 s−1 was estimated for the Cr Guan protons. As revealed by the simulation, an elevated GuanCEST in the brain is observed when B1 is less than 0.4 μT at 3T, when intracellular pH reduces by 0.2. Conversely, the GuanCEST decreases when B1 is greater than 0.4 μT with the same pH drop.
Conclusions
CrCEST mapping is possible at 3T, which has potential for detecting intracellular pH and Cr concentration in brain.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The code used for the CrCEST exchange rate determination will be made available at https://github.com/Kexin-Wang/exchange_rate_of_CrCEST.
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