Chemical exchange saturation transfer for detecting altered APT in arterial stenosis at 7T

Motivation: The incidence of middle cerebral arterial (MCA) stenosis increases yearly, molecular biomarkers for this condition are needed. Amide proton transfer imaging is a potential imaging marker. Goal(s): To investigate the APT changes in MCA stenosis patients. Approach: We quantitatively evaluated both the affected and healthy middle cerebral arterial blood-supplying brain regions in eight patients with unilateral middle cerebral arterial stenosis using CEST-APT at 7T. Results: The CEST values of the affected MCA-supplied brain regions were higher than those of the healthy MCA-supplied brain regions, suggesting metabolic alterations in patients with MCA stenosis. Impact: CEST values for vascularized brain regions can be quantitatively measured using 7T-CEST and can provide new markers for mechanistic and intervention studies in patients with MCA stenosis. This can contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of MCA stenosis.