Effect of diffusion-sensitizing gradient timings on the exponential, biexponential and diffusional kurtosis model...

To investigate whether spacing (Delta) and duration (delta) of the diffusion-sensitizing gradient pulses differentially affect exponential (D'), biexponential (D (slow), D (fast) and f (slow)) and diffusional kurtosis (D and K) model parameters.

Measurements were performed in the rat thalamus for b = 200-3,200 s mm(-2), sweeping Delta between 20 and 100 ms at delta = 15 ms, and delta between 15 and 50 ms at Delta = 60 ms. Linear regressions were performed for each model parameter vs. Delta or delta.

Increasing Delta from 20 to 100 ms increases D' (from 0.64 to 0.70 x 10(-3) mm(2)s(-1)) and D (slow) (from 0.26 to 0.33 x 10(-3) mm(2)s(-1)), reduces K (from 0.57 to 0.53), and has no effects on D (fast), f (slow) or D. Increasing delta from 15 to 50 ms increases D (from 0.80 to 0.88 x 10(-3) mm(2)s(-1)), and has no effects on the other parameters.

The parameters of the biexponential and diffusional kurtosis models are more sensitive than the exponential model to Delta and delta; however, observed effects are too small to account for the discrepancies found in literature.