Novel MRI Pulse Sequence to Image Upper Airway Anatomy and Measure Changes in Neurometabolism During Volitional Model Apneas

Motivation: While the neurometabolic consequences of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are thought to play a role in downstream risk for various disorders, quantifying these changes during natural sleep remains a scientific challenge. Goal(s): We aim to validate a custom MRI sequence for detecting neurometabolism and upper airway architecture during volitional apneas. Approach: During scanning, awake healthy volunteers were asked to perform breath holds and swallowing apneas. Results: Both breath-hold and swallowing model apneas increased CBF and SVO2 resulting in increased CMRO2, but only swallowing apneas were associated with an effective closure of the upper airway. Impact: Identifying specific changes in neurometabolism and upper-airway architecture with an experimental paradigm validates the proposed approach before applications in a more challenging naturalistic observation. Experiments in healthy subjects also helps contextualize the magnitude of changes noted in natural observations.