Brain Temperature Mapping Based on Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer of Creatine at 5.0T

Motivation: High-resolution brain thermometry remains challenging. Goal(s): To estimate the feasibility of creatine chemical exchange saturation transfer (CrCEST) imaging for brain thermometry. Approach: The CrCEST imaging of creatine phantom and swine brain was conducted at various temperatures on a 5.0T MR scanner (UIH Jupiter). The relationship between the apparent offset of CrCEST and the temperature was estimated with regression analysis, based on which the temperature maps were generated. Results: Strong linear relationships between temperature and the apparent CrCEST offset were identified for both the creatine phantom (0.005ppm/oC) and the ex vivo swine brain (0.008ppm/oC) experiments. Impact: The linear relationship between the apparent CrCEST offset and temperature confirmed the feasibility of CrCEST for high-resolution brain thermometry.