Amide proton transfer imaging of the human brain

Amide proton transfer (APT) imaging is a new MRI technique that detects endogenous mobile proteins and peptides in tissue via saturation of the amide protons in the peptide bonds. Initial studies have shown promise in detecting tumor and stroke, but this technique was hampered by magnetic field inhomogeneity and a low signal-to-noise ratio. Several important prerequisites for performing APT imaging experiments include designing an effective APT imaging pulse sequence based on the hardware capability, optimizing the experimental protocol for the best clinical imaging quality, and developing data-processing approaches for effective image assessment. In this chapter, technical issues, such as pulse sequence design and optimization, magnetic field inhomogeneity correction, specific absorption rate minimization, and scan duration, are addressed.