Introduction to Perfusion Quantification using Arterial Spin Labelling

ASL is an increasingly popular tool to study the brain. The aim of this primer is to equip someone new to the field with the knowledge to make informed choices about ASL acquisition and analysis. While providing a stand-alone introduction to this subject, the text can be read with others in the series for a comprehensive overview of neuroimaging.

Michael Chappell, Associate Professor of Engineering Science, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, UK,Bradley MacIntosh, Associate Professor and Neuroimaging Scientist, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Canada,Thomas Okell, University Research Lecturer, Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, UK

Michael Chappell is head of the Quantitative Biomedical Inference group at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford. He specialises in methods to infer physiological and metabolic information such as perfusion and pH from medical imaging data. These methods are applied in a wide range of medical applications including stroke, dementia and cancer. Michael is also the Director of Training for the EPSRC-MRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Biomedical Imaging. Prior to working in medical image analysis, Michael did a doctorate in SCUBA diving and for a short while investigated methods to identify buried objects such as landmines.

Brad MacIntosh runs a lab focused on perfusion and vascular imaging at Sunnybrook Research Institute, University of Toronto. Brad pursued Masters and PhD work in the department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto and Western University. His postdoc was at the FMRIB Centre in Oxford. Brad works on clinical translation of BOLD and ASL functional MRI to a wide range of brain diseases. He also uses these techniques to understand the acute and chronic effects of aerobic exercise on the brain.

Thomas Okell is the head of neurovascular imaging research within the physics group at the Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB). His research focuses on the development of non-invasive MRI methods to visualise the flow of blood through the arteries and the resulting perfusion of the brain tissue. These methods are being applied in a range of patient groups, including those with acute stroke and arteriovenous malformation. Thomas is also the director of physics education for the FMRIB graduate program. He trained as a medical physicist within the NHS before discovering the joys of arterial spin labelling during his PhD.