Abstract #4075

Hemodynamic Characterization of Dementias Via Pseudo Continuous ASL

Simone Chaudhary^1,2, Rafal Janik¹, Amy Scouten¹, Adrienne Dorr¹, Wayne Lee³, Graeme Schwindt¹, Sandra Black¹, John Sled³, Bojana Stefanovic¹

¹Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ²Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ³Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

A number of neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by compromised cerebral hemodynamics. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and arterial transit time have been mapped in healthy elderly, MCI, and AD via pulsed continuous ASL at varying inversion times. Two compartment theory was employed in the analysis. MCI showed a trend toward decreased CBF relative to healthy volunteers, whereas AD was associated with a pronounced, statistically significant hypoperfusion. Arterial transit time decreases suggested compensatory vasodilation in a subset of subjects.