Hyperpolarized [2-C]pyruvate MR molecular imaging with whole brain coverage.

Hyperpolarized (HP) C Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was applied for the first time to image and quantify the uptake and metabolism of [2-C]pyruvate in the human brain to provide new metabolic information on cerebral energy metabolism. HP [2-C]pyruvate was injected intravenously and imaged in 5 healthy human volunteer exams with whole brain coverage in a 1-minute acquisition using a specialized spectral-spatial multi-slice echoplanar imaging (EPI) pulse sequence to acquire C-labeled volumetric and dynamic images of [2-C]pyruvate and downstream metabolites [5-C]glutamate and [2-C]lactate. Metabolic ratios and apparent conversion rates of pyruvate-to-lactate (k) and pyruvate-to-glutamate (k) were quantified to investigate simultaneously glycolytic and oxidative metabolism in a single injection.