Manipulation of cortical gray matter oxygenation by hyperoxic respiratory challenge: field dependence of R(2) * and MR signal response

The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the field strength dependence of the transverse relaxation rate (R(2) *) change in cortical gray matter induced by hyperoxia and hyperoxic hypercapnia versus normoxia in an intra-individual comparison of young healthy volunteers. Medical air (21% O(2) ), pure oxygen and carbogen (95% O(2) , 5% CO(2) ) were alternatively administered in a block-design temporal pattern to induce normoxia, hyperoxia and hyperoxic hypercapnia, respectively. Local R(2) * values were determined from three-dimensional, multiple, radiofrequency-spoiled, fast field echo data acquired at 1.5, 3 and 7 T. Image quality was good at all field strengths. Under normoxia, the mean gray matter R(2) * values were 13.3 ± 2.7 s(-1) (1.5 T), 16.9 ± 0.9 s(-1) (3 T) and 29.0 ± 2.6 s(-1) (7 T). Both hyperoxic gases induced relaxation rate decreases ΔR(2) *, whose magnitudes increased quadratically with the field strength [carbogen: -0.69 ± 0.20 s(-1) (1.5 T), -1.49 ± 0.49 s(-1) (3 T), -5.64 ± 0.67 s(-1) (7 T); oxygen: -0.39 ± 0.20 s(-1) (1.5 T), -0.78 ± 0.48 s(-1) (3 T), -3.86 ± 1.00 s(-1) (7 T)]. Carbogen produced larger R(2) * changes than oxygen at all field strengths. The relative change ΔR(2) */R(2) * also increased with the field strength with a power between 1 and 2 for both carbogen and oxygen. The statistical significance of the R(2) * response improved with increasing B(0) and was higher for carbogen than for oxygen. For a sequence with pure T(2) * weighting of the signal response to respiratory challenge, the results suggested a maximum carbogen-induced signal difference of 19.3% of the baseline signal at 7 T and TE = 38 ms, but a maximum oxygen-induced signal difference of only 3.0% at 1.5 T and TE = 76 ms. For 3 T, maximum signal changes of 4.7% (oxygen) and 8.9% (carbogen) were computed. In conclusion, the R(2) * response to hyperoxic respiratory challenge was stronger for carbogen than for oxygen, and increased quadratically with the static magnetic field strength for both challenges, which highlights the importance of high field strengths for future studies aimed at probing oxygen physiology in clinical settings.