7T MRI Seminar: Mesoscale Perfusion Imaging with pseudo-Continuous Arterial Spin Labeling at Ultra-high Field MRI

Abstract

Cerebral blood flow measured with arterial spin labeling (ASL) MRI offers noninvasive in vivo assessment of neurovascular functions. Ultrahigh-field 7T MRI makes it possible to measure cerebral perfusion at the mesoscale, with both anatomical and functional detail. However, technical challenges such as B0/B1 inhomogeneities and SAR limits have hindered progress. In my talk, I will present recent developments that overcome these barriers, including optimizations of labeling, a FLASH-based pCASL sequence and reconstruction with non-Cartesian sampling, and further advances of spatiotemporal resolution enabled by the NexGen 7T system. Together, these advances enable robust, whole-brain perfusion imaging at 1 mm resolution and higher. I will highlight validation studies, laminar perfusion images, and future directions for clinical translation of 7T ASL.