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Abstract #2266

Spontaneous BOLD Signal Fluctuations in the Young and Elderly Brain: a Non-Contrast Biomarker of Cerebral Vasomotor Reactivity?

Hesamoddin Jahanian1, Wendy W. Ni1, Thomas Christen1, Manjula K. Tamura2, Michael E. Moseley1, Greg Zaharchuk1

1Department of Radiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States; 2Division of Nephrology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States


Spontaneous fluctuations in blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal have been observed in resting state time series measurements. Although their precise physiological origin is not yet clear, they are likely to arise from oscillations in metabolic-linked brain physiology, arterial vasomotion and hemodynamics. We hypothesized that these physiological fluctuations may reveal cerebrovascular autoregulatory mechanisms and consequently be associated with factors modulating the cerebrovasculature such as aging and hypertension. To test this hypothesis, we compared the magnitude of spontaneous BOLD fluctuations in two populations: 1) young healthy adults and 2) hypertensive elderly subjects with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

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