Kinetic Modeling of Cerebral Glucose Metabolism to Quantify Metabolic Rates Using High-resolution 2H-MRSI

Motivation: Quantitative assessment of cerebral glucose metabolism and metabolic rates using deuterium MRS imaging (2H-MRSI) is still challenging. Goal(s): To develop an advanced kinetic model and a robust fitting algorithm enabling the accurate determination of brain kinetic parameters and blood input function. Approach: A kinetic model incorporating brain glucose transport, glucose consumption, aerobic glycolysis, and TCA cycle rates was developed and validated through animal studies at 16.4T. Results: The proposed model and algorithm reliably and simultaneously estimated blood input functions and key kinetic parameters, including cerebral glucose consumption, aerobic glycolysis and TCA cycle rates. Impact: Reliable and quantitative assessment of cerebral metabolic rates of glucose metabolism along non-oxidative and oxidative pathways is critical for studying brain energy metabolism and metabolic reprogramming. The proposed method has the potential for broad applications in various neurological diseases.