In vivo noninvasive detection of Brown Adipose Tissue through intermolecular zero-quantum MRI.
Published
Journal Article
The recent discovery of active Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) in adult humans has opened new avenues for obesity research and treatment, as reduced BAT activity seem to be implicated in human energy imbalance, diabetes, and hypertension. However, clinical applications are currently limited by the lack of non-invasive tools for measuring mass and function of this tissue in humans. Here we present a new magnetic resonance imaging method based on the normally invisible intermolecular multiple-quantum coherence (1)H MR signal. This method, which doesn't require special hardware modifications, can be used to overcome partial volume effect, the major limitation of MR-based approaches that are currently being investigated for the detection of BAT in humans. With this method we can exploit the characteristic cellular structure of BAT to selectively image it, even when (as in humans) it is intimately mixed with other tissues. We demonstrate and validate this method in mice using PET scans and histology. We compare this methodology with conventional (1)H MR fat fraction methods. Finally, we investigate its feasibility for the detection of BAT in humans.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Branca, RT; Zhang, L; Warren, WS; Auerbach, E; Khanna, A; Degan, S; Ugurbil, K; Maronpot, R
Published Date
- January 2013
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 8 / 9
Start / End Page
- e74206 -
PubMed ID
- 24040203
Pubmed Central ID
- 24040203
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1932-6203
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 1932-6203
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0074206
Language
- eng