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Multiple-TE Based Blood-Brain-Barrier Water Exchange Time Measurement Using a TE-Resolved 3D TSE Stack-Of-Spirals
Bo Li1, Yiran Li1, Xiao Liang1
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
|May 30, 2026
Summary
A new ASL sequence, TASL, eliminates blurring for better blood-brain barrier (BBB) water exchange time measurement. This advanced technique improves perfusion SNR and provides reliable quantification of cerebral perfusion and BBB permeability.
Area of Science:
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Neuroimaging
- Physiology
Background:
- Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) is crucial for non-invasive brain perfusion quantification.
- Accurate measurement of blood-brain barrier (BBB) water exchange time is vital for diagnosing neurological disorders.
- Conventional ASL methods can suffer from artifacts like slice-wise intensity modulation and blurring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, blurring-free, TE-resolved ASL sequence (TASL) for precise BBB water exchange time measurement.
- To enhance the accuracy and reliability of quantitative perfusion imaging.
- To overcome limitations of existing multiple-TE (mTE) ASL sequences.
Main Methods:
- A 3D TSE spiral-readout pCASL sequence was modified for TE-resolved acquisition.
- In vivo experiments were conducted on healthy volunteers comparing TASL with conventional pCASL.
- Quantitative parameters including CBF, ATT, ITT, and Texch were evaluated, along with perfusion SNR and reproducibility.
Main Results:
- TASL effectively eliminated T2 decay-induced slice-wise intensity modulation and blurring, significantly improving whole-brain perfusion SNR.
- Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and arterial transit time (ATT) estimates showed minimal differences (<1%) between TASL and conventional methods.
- TASL yielded higher mean water exchange time (Texch; 18.2%) and intravoxel transit time (ITT; 9.05%) values, with excellent test-retest reproducibility (ICC > 0.86, wsCV < 8.38%).
Conclusions:
- The developed TASL sequence successfully eliminates signal intensity modulation and blurring artifacts.
- TASL provides densely sampled echo times (TE) crucial for accurate parametric fitting.
- TASL represents a valuable tool for accurate and reliable quantification of cerebral perfusion and BBB permeability.
