Assessing Lactate Release in an Epilepsy Mouse Model using Metabolic Imaging of Hyperpolarized [1-13C]Pyruvate

Motivation: Thirty percent of epilepsy patients have seizures despite best medical therapies. Therefore, a non-invasive method to localize seizure onset zone (SOZ) and epilepsy network (EN) in epilepsy surgery to improve surgical outcomes is essential. Goal(s): The goal of this study was to apply dynamic magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) of hyperpolarized [1‑13C]pyruvate (Pyr) to measure lactate (Lac) release in a Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) mouse model of epilepsy. Approach: We hypothesize that hpMRSI of [1-13C]Pyr accurately measures elevated Pyr-to-Lac conversion in a PTZ mouse model of epilepsy. Results: Significant increase in Pyr-to-Lac conversion has been measured in PTZ kindled mice compared to control mice. Impact: Epilepsy surgery outcomes depend on correctly identifying SOZ and EN. We utilized hpMRSI of [1-13C]Pyr to accurately identify elevated Lac release in PTZ mouse model of epilepsy. These results support its potential application to identify epileptic focus in epilepsy patients.