Imaging Cerebral Inflammation: Translational Findings from Preclinical MRI & 31P MRS

Stroke is routinely diagnosed using clinical MRI and MRS, which provide information on tissue pathophysiology and metabolism respectively. However, within such a complex lesion, it is difficult to establish the relative contributions of the ischaemic and inflammatory components on the resulting pathophysiology. It would be useful for clinicians to be able to identify tissue MR signals attributable to cerebral inflammation and discern them from MR signals pertaining to ischaemic injury, facilitating targeted therapeutic strategies.