Abstract #3497

Effects of Background Suppression on the Sensitivity of Dual-Echo Arterial Spin Labeling MRI for BOLD and CBF Signal Changes

Eidrees Ghariq¹, Michael A. Chappell²,³, Sophie Schmid¹, Wouter M. Teeuwisse¹, Mark A. van Buchem¹, Andrew G. Webb¹, Matthias J.P. van Osch¹

¹C.J.Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands; ²Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; ³FMRIB Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford,, United Kingdom

Dual-echo arterial spin labeling (DE-ASL) facilitates simultaneous acquisition of BOLD and perfusion-weighted fMRI data. Background suppression (BGS) modules are designed to improve the low intrinsic ASL SNR, but are believed to be undesirable in DE-ASL, because they could decrease BOLD functional sensitivity. In this study, the effects of BGS-pulses on the sensitivity of DE-ASL for BOLD and CBF signal changes were studied. BGS levels of up to 90% were achieved, thereby increasing CBF sensitivity significantly, while loss in BOLD sensitivity remained small, suggesting the possibility of DE-ASL fMRI with BGS.