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Blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a critical role in brain health and diseases. However, there is a scarcity of tools to assess BBB integrity, particularly in mouse models. Here, we aimed to develop a non-contrast arterial-spin-labeling-based MRI technique to estimate BBB permeability in mice by measuring relative fractions of labeled water in cerebral veins. Systematic optimizations were performed to enhance signal sensitivity with a further study investigating reproducibility. The proposed method revealed significant BBB dysfunctions in a mouse model of Huntington’s disease, which were further validated with histology. Our method may open new avenues for preclinical mechanistic research or therapeutic trails.
Wei et al. (Wed,) studied this question.