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Abstract #0879

3D MRI of the Hyperpolarized 129Xe Distribution in the Rat Brain

John Nouls1,2, Zackary I. Cleveland1,2, Matthew S. Freeman3, Harald E. Moeller4, Laurence W. Hedlund1,2, Bastiaan Driehuys1,2

1Department of Radiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States; 2Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States; 3Medical Physics, Duke University; 4Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany


We demonstrate that acquiring isotropic, 3D images of the 129<\sup>Xe distribution in the rat brain is feasible. The images are obtained by simple inhalation delivery within 5 min. However, the intensity in these images display significant heterogeneity. The presence of this heterogeneity, which was not reported in earlier 2D imaging studies, suggests that the distribution of <sup>129<\sup>Xe in the brain is sensitive to a variety of physiologically and anatomically important factors including perfusion, tissue type, and tissue chemistry.