Quantitative Assessment of Brain Glucose Metabolism Using Dynamic Glucose-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (DGE-MRF)

Abstract

The brain relies heavily on glucose to sustain neuronal and glial functions, with metabolism closely regulated by both glucose levels and underlying physiological or pathological states. To investigate this complex process, a dynamic glucose-enhanced magnetic resonance fingerprinting (DGE-MRF) approach was implemented at a 9.4 T MRI system, integrating established multiparametric MRF with DGE-MRI and γ-variate kinetic modeling to track glucose uptake and clearance in gliomas. Dynamic ΔR₁, ΔR₂, and ΔR_1ρ curves revealed distinct temporal profiles: ΔR₁ peaked early, reflecting vascular glucose accumulation, whereas ΔR₂ and ΔR_1ρ captured slower tissue-level processes. Kinetic modeling using a γ-variate function demonstrated elevated glucose uptake rates (μ_in) and greater peak glucose changes (ΔG_max) in gliomas, while clearance rates (μ_out) were comparable to those of controls. Overall, DGE-MRF provides accurate, reproducible, and region-specific mapping of cerebral glucose kinetics, offering a noninvasive framework for probing metabolic heterogeneity in gliomas and potential applications in tumor characterization and neurodegenerative disease research.