Assessment of cerebral microbleeds using improved 7T SWI in Alzheimer’s disease

Motivation: Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are small hemosiderin-laden macrophage clusters resulting from blood leakage about damaged cerebral vessels, often linked to β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition. Goal(s): To improve the visualization of CMBs that might be missed or undetectable with lower field strengths in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD patients. Approach: A new SWI technique named CLEAR-SWI was reported to eliminate the artifacts common in standard, single-echo SWI, reduce signal dropouts, and improve image homogeneity and contrast-to-noise. Results: We found a significant correlation between the number of lobar CMBs and the Aβ PET SUVR levels in AD/MCI patients. Impact: Improved visualization of CMBs with CLEAR SWI sequences at 7T may contribute to more accurate identification of MCI and AD patients, who typically present a lobar distribution of CMBs.