Abstract #3414

Mier C, Liu T, Moses P, Perthen J

To assess potential differences between children and adults in hemodynamic response to brain activation, arterial spin labeling was used for measurement of blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) responses during visual stimulation in 8 year olds, 12 year olds and adults. The peak amplitude of percent signal change for the BOLD signal and CBF was comparable for children and adults. The post-stimulus period, however, showed a lower BOLD signal in adults than children. The deeper undershoot in the adults BOLD data may reflect a slower return to baseline for cerebral blood volume in the mature brain.