Development of lipid-weighted noe and cest mri methods for advanced neuroimaging Blake A Benyard

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Benyard, Blake A., author.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Bioengineering., degree granting institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Neurosciences.

Medical imaging.

Biochemistry.

Biophysics.

0786.

0574.

0487.

0317.

Local Subjects:

Neurosciences.

Medical imaging.

Biochemistry.

Biophysics.

0786.

0574.

0487.

0317.

Genre:

Academic theses

Physical Description:

1 online resource (144 pages)

Contained In:

Dissertations Abstracts International 87-12B

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2026

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Lipid dysregulation and myelin degradation are fundamental pathological features of multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Despite their clinical importance, existing noninvasive imaging biomarkers remain limited in their ability to simultaneously capture focal demyelination and diffuse microstructural injury across the brain. Similarly, lipids play critical roles in the initiation, growth, and progression of brain tumors, yet current clinical imaging techniques are insufficient for reliably characterizing lipid-mediated tumor biology and translating these insights into clinical decision-making. Accurate delineation of brain tumor boundaries is essential for surgical planning, treatment stratification, and prognostication. However, conventional MRI methods often underestimate the extent of infiltrative tumor growth. Moreover, distinguishing true tumor progression from pseudoprogression-a treatment-related inflammatory response that can mimic tumor recurrence on standard imaging-remains a major clinical challenge. This diagnostic ambiguity underscores the need for advanced imaging techniques capable of providing greater biological specificity. Existing lipid-targeted approaches are often time-intensive and prone to spectral overlap with other metabolites, further limiting their clinical utility. Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) MRI offers a promising alternative by indirectly detecting low-concentration metabolites and macromolecules through their exchangeable protons, thereby enabling enhanced sensitivity to molecular and microstructural tissue changes. This thesis focuses on the development, optimization, and application of advanced Nuclear Overhauser Effect (NOE)-weighted and CEST-weighted MRI techniques for neuroimaging in multiple sclerosis and brain tumors. Specifically, this work (i) evaluates the clinical feasibility of a three-dimensional transient NOE MRI protocol as a biomarker for demyelination and neurodegeneration, with emphasis on detecting diffuse, lipid-mediated pathology in MS; (ii) investigates NOE-weighted MRI as a non-invasive approach for improving tumor-to-brain contrast by exploiting differences in membrane lipid composition between tumor and normal tissue; and (iii) designs and assesses an integrated imaging strategy combining amine-CEST MRI with gadolinium-based contrast enhancement to differentiate extracellular, macrophage-rich regions from intracellular, tumor cell-dominated compartments. Overall, the advanced MRI methods developed in this thesis enable more accurate characterization of lipid alterations in multiple sclerosis, improved visualization of infiltrative tumor boundaries, and enhanced differentiation between true tumor progression and treatment-related effects. These advances expand the capabilities of lipid-sensitive MRI and support broader clinical application in the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of neurological disorders, including MS and brain tumors

Notes:

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 87-12, Section: B.

Advisors: Reddy, Ravinder; Haris, Mohammad Committee members: Witschey, Walter R.; Fan, Yi; Chawla, Sanjeev

Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania 2026

Vendor supplied data

Local Notes:

School code: 0175

ISBN:

9798247978893

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license