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Reproducibility of cerebral perfusion measurements using BOLD delay
Ahmed A Khalil1,2,3,4, Ayse C Tanritanir1, Ulrike Grittner4,5
1Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Human Brain Mapping
|February 25, 2023
Summary
Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent (BOLD) delay offers a noninvasive way to measure cerebral perfusion. This study found BOLD delay to be reproducible, especially in posterior brain regions, supporting its use in longitudinal monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Cerebrovascular Physiology
- Medical Imaging Techniques
Background:
- Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent (BOLD) delay is an emerging noninvasive technique for assessing cerebral perfusion.
- Unlike contrast-enhanced methods, BOLD delay avoids intravenous agents, making it suitable for repeated longitudinal monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reproducibility of BOLD delay measurements.
- To identify factors influencing BOLD delay reproducibility in subjects with normal cerebral perfusion.
Main Methods:
- Reproducibility assessed using data from 136 subjects scanned twice.
- Varied scanners, sequence parameters, and inter-scan intervals across subjects.
- Linear mixed models and intraclass correlation coefficients used for analysis.
Main Results:
- BOLD delay demonstrated good overall reproducibility.
- Highest reproducibility observed in the posterior cerebral artery territory.
- Mean test-retest difference was 1.2 seconds (95% CI: 1.0–1.4 s) after accounting for influencing factors.
Conclusions:
- BOLD delay is a reproducible method for assessing cerebral perfusion.
- Longitudinal interpretation of BOLD delay requires caution, particularly for small changes or in specific brain regions.
