Casey P. Johnson1,
Hye-Young Heo2, Daniel R. Thedens1, John A. Wemmie3,
Vincent A. Magnotta1, 3
1Radiology,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States; 2Biomedical
Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States; 3Psychiatry,
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
A spin-lock-prepared SE-EPI sequence for dynamic T1rho imaging of the brain with 4.0sec temporal resolution is characterized in simulation, phantom, and in vivo experiments. It is demonstrated in a flashing checkerboard experiment that the method can simultaneously measure both T1rho and BOLD activation. Additionally, it is shown in phantoms that the sequence is sensitive to pH changes on the order 0.1 units or less. This evidence supports that dynamic T1rho imaging is a viable tool to study brain activation that is unique from BOLD and is sensitive to activity-evoked acidosis. A potentially significant application is the study of psychiatric diseases.
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