CEST Contrasts Exhibit Significant Regional Variations in the Human Brain at 3 T.

ABSTRACT: Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI is a promising molecular imaging technique with established clinical relevance in neuro-oncology. While CEST contrast differences between gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) are documented, brain region-specific contrast variations remain underexplored. This study investigates the regional variability of CEST contrasts in healthy brains to provide a baseline reference, which could enhance the detection of subtle pathological changes in clinical settings. Ten healthy volunteers (five female, mean age 25 ± 3.1 years) underwent 3D CEST imaging on a 3-T Siemens Prisma scanner. Using a custom segmentation tool, GM and WM regions of interest (ROIs) were automatically selected in the frontal, parietotemporal, and occipital regions and the calcar

SUBMITTER: Kroh F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12613240 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature