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Updated: Aug 25, 2026

Hyperpolarized Xenon for NMR and MRI Applications
Published on: September 6, 2012
Dynamic NMR spectroscopy of hyperpolarized (129)Xe in human brain analyzed by an uptake model
Wolfgang Kilian1, Frank Seifert, Herbert Rinneberg
1Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Berlin, Germany. wolfgang.kilian@ptb.de
Abstract:
Hyperpolarized (129)Xe (HpXe) NMR not only holds promise for functional lung imaging, but for measurements of tissue perfusion as well. To investigate human brain perfusion, several time-series of (129)Xe MR spectra were recorded from one healthy volunteer after HpXe inhalation. The time-dependent amplitudes of the MR spectra were analyzed by using a compartment model for xenon uptake modified to account for the loss of (129)Xe polarization due to RF-excitation and for the breathhold technique used in the experiments. This analysis suggests that the resonances detected at 196.5 +/- 1 ppm and 193 +/- 1 ppm originate from HpXe dissolved in gray and white matter, respectively, and that T(1) relaxation times of HpXe are different in gray and white matter (T(1g) > T(1w)).
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