| Autor: |
Steketee RM; Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands., Mutsaerts HJ; Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands., Bron EE; Biomedical Imaging Group Rotterdam, Departments of Medical Informatics and Radiology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands., van Osch MJ; C.J. Gorter Center for High Field MRI, Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands., Majoie CB; Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands., van der Lugt A; Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands., Nederveen AJ; Department of Radiology, Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands., Smits M; Department of Radiology, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. |
| Abstrakt: |
Arterial spin labeling (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging is increasingly used to quantify task-related brain activation. This study assessed functional ASL (fASL) using pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) product sequences from two vendors. By scanning healthy participants twice with each sequence while they performed a motor task, this study assessed functional ASL for 1) its sensitivity to detect task-related cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes, and 2) its reproducibility of resting CBF and absolute CBF changes (delta CBF) in the motor cortex. Whole-brain voxel-wise analyses showed that sensitivity for motor activation was sufficient with each sequence, and comparable between sequences. Reproducibility was assessed with within-subject coefficients of variation (wsCV) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Reproducibility of resting CBF was reasonably good within (wsCV: 14.1-15.7%; ICC: 0.69-0.77) and between sequences (wsCV: 15.1%; ICC: 0.69). Reproducibility of delta CBF was relatively low, both within (wsCV: 182-297%; ICC: 0.04-0.32) and between sequences (wsCV: 185%; ICC: 0.45), while inter-session variation was low. This may be due to delta CBF's small mean effect (0.77-1.32 mL/100g gray matter/min). In conclusion, fASL seems sufficiently sensitive to detect task-related changes on a group level, with acceptable inter-sequence differences. Resting CBF may provide a consistent baseline to compare task-related activation to, but absolute regional CBF changes are more variable, and should be interpreted cautiously when acquired with two pCASL product sequences. |
