Mapping cerebral perfusion in mice under various anesthesia levels using highly sensitive BOLD MRI with transient hypoxia

Cerebral perfusion is critical for the early detection of neurological diseases and for effectively monitoring disease progression and treatment responses. Mouse models are widely used in brain research, often under anesthesia, which can affect vascular physiology. However, the impact of anesthesia on regional cerebral blood volume and flow in mice has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we have developed a whole-brain perfusion MRI approach by using a 5-second nitrogen gas stimulus under inhalational anesthetics to induce transient BOLD dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC). This method proved to be highly sensitive, repeatable within each imaging session, and across four weekly sessions. Relative cerebral blood volumes measured by BOLD DSC agree well with those by contrast agents. Quantitative cerebral blood volume and flow metrics were successfully measured in mice under dexmedetomidine and various isoflurane doses using both total vasculature-sensitive gradient-echo and microvasculature-sensitive spin-echo BOLD MRI. Dexmedetomidine reduces cerebral perfusion, while isoflurane increases cerebral perfusion in a dose-dependent manner.