We are developing non-invasive MRI techniques to measure brain oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) in 10 patients with Moyamoya disease, a steno-occlusive disease of arteries at the base of the brain.
Using simultaneous PET/MRI and [15O]-water as a tracer, we are able to measure baseline cerebral blood flow and cerebrovascular reactivity (after vasodilation with a drug called acetazolamide). Our research asks the question: How does vessel stenosis change blood flow, and does this affect brain tissue oxygenation?
We are characterizing the reproducibility of these biomarkers across different scan sessions so that they can ultimately be used reliably in clinical settings and trials.
