Investigating systematic error in pseudocontinuous Arterial Spin Labelling estimates of cerebrovascular reactivity

New clinical tools are needed for the diagnosis and prognosis of cerebrovascular diseases. Cerebrovascular Reactivity (CVR) is a potential marker for brain health and can be induced using stressors to the brain like a hypercapnia challenge and quantitatively mapped using pseudocontinuous Arterial Spin Labelling (pCASL). However, measurements of CVR using pCASL have been shown to vary depending on the parameters of the unbalanced pCASL preparation scheme used. In this study the effect of a diminished B1 at the labelling plane and changes in B0 during hyperventilation were investigated as the origin of this discrepancy.