Xiao-Hong Zhu1,
James Chen2, Tsang-Wei Tu2, Wei Chen1,
Sheng-Kwei Song2
1Center for
Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA; 2Department of Radiology,
Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA, USA
Deficits or abnormalities in cerebral oxidative metabolism and perfusion have been linked to many brain disorders and diseases. Direct measurements of the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) and perfusion (CBF) can provide valuable information for diagnosis and treatment of the disease. An in vivo 17O MRS imaging (MRSI) approach at high/ultrahigh fields has been developed recently for non-invasive mapping of CMRO2 and CBF in small animals such as rats and cats. However, mice provide a more popular preclinical model for studying numerous brain diseases. Imaging CMRO2 in the mouse brain presents new challenges and opportunities for the 17O-MR based CMRO2 imaging technique. In this study, we explored the feasibility and new utility of the 17O-MR imaging approach for studying abnormal CMRO2 and CBF in the mouse brain with a middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion.