Characterizing the origin of the arterial spin labelling signal in MRI using a multiecho acquisition approach

Arterial spin labelling (ASL) can noninvasively isolate the MR signal from arterial blood water that has flowed into the brain. In gray matter, the labelled bolus is dispersed within three main compartments during image acquisition: the intravascular compartment; intracellular tissue space; and the extracellular tissue space. Changes in the relative volumes of the extracellular and intracellular tissue space are thought to occur in many pathologic conditions such as stroke and brain tumors. Accurate measurement of the distribution of the ASL signal within these three compartments will yield better understanding of the time course of blood delivery and exchange, and may have particular application in animal models of disease to investigate the relationship between the source of the ASL signal and pathology. In this study, we sample the transverse relaxation of the ASL perfusion weighted and control images acquired with and without vascular crusher gradients at a range of postlabelling delays and tagging durations, to estimate the tricompartmental distribution of labelled water in the rat cortex. Our results provide evidence for rapid exchange of labelled blood water into the intracellular space relative to the transit time through the vascular bed, and provide a more solid foundation for cerebral blood flow quantification using ASL techniques. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (2009) 29, 1836-1845; doi:10.1038/jcbfm.2009.99; published online 5 August 2009