Principal Investigator: Hanzhang Lu, PhD
This TRD develops physiological MRI techniques that provide quantitative and biologically interpretable measures of the brain. These include: (i) basal physiological parameters such as cerebral blood flow (CBF), bolus arrival time (BAT), oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability; (ii) dynamic physiological parameters such as cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), arterial pulsatility, and vascular compliance (VC). We will achieve this through systematic design of novel pulse sequences and data processing methods. To allow these sophisticated measures to be obtained with clinically practical time, fast acquisition methods will be integrated into our techniques such as compressed sensing, multi-band/simultaneous-multi-slice, parallel imaging, variable-density spiral sampling, and stack-of-stars 3D acquisition. Multi-contrast imaging (e.g. combining physiological with anatomic imaging) will be achieved by MR Fingerprinting (MRF). We will improve the speed and reliability of parametric estimations using deep learning methods. To ensure readiness of these techniques for biomarker testing, small-scale standardization and compatibility assessments will be performed which include intra-session, inter-session, inter-vendor, inter-rater test-retest, and cloud-based MRI data processing.
Contents:
Basal Physiologic Parameters
Dynamic Physiologic Parameters
Standardization