Tamara Fong1, Weiying Dai2, Li-Wen Huang3, Leo Waterson3, Sharon Inouye4, David Alsop2
1Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States; 2Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States; 3Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School; 4Gerontology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
The cholinergic system plays a key role in human cognition. in vivo imaging of cholinergic function has the potential of advancing our understanding of its effects on regional and network activity. Here we examine the cholinergic system in vivo using pharmacologic arterial spin-labeling (ASL) perfusion MRI. Fifteen subjects were administrated anticholinergic drugs (mecamylamine or scopolamine or combined) to induce cholinergic blockade. ASL was used to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) after administration. in vivo results showed cholinergic blockade caused significant CBF changes and worse cognitive performance.