Federated Database, Protocols, and Tools for Arterial Spin Labeling CBF Measures

描述(申请人提供)：脑血流量(CBF)是反映血液输送到大脑的重要生理参数。CBF的测量在加深我们对疾病、年龄和药物等因素如何改变大脑的理解方面发挥着至关重要的作用。此外，越来越多的人认识到，基线CBF的变化可以显著改变大多数脑功能磁共振成像(FMRI)研究中测量的血氧水平依赖(BOLD)信号的幅度和形状。因此，越来越多的由美国国立卫生研究院资助的功能磁共振研究正在获得基线脑血流量的测量，作为其方案的一部分。这些测量通常使用动脉自旋标记(ASL)获得，这是一种磁共振成像(MRI)方法，可以在相对较短的时间内(不到10分钟)提供CBF的定量测量，而不需要外部造影剂。美国国立卫生研究院资助的获取ASL CBF措施的研究越来越多，这为创建一个跨越多个组和地点的CBF措施的全面数据库提供了一个独特的机会。合并数据的大小和多样性将极大地促进我们扩大对CBF如何随疾病、年龄、种族、民族和医疗而变化的理解。该项目的总体目标是创建一个全面的CBF测量数据库，使研究人员能够共享、分析、挖掘和解释来自多个研究和地点的脑血流测量数据。为了实现这一目标，我们建议建立在生物医学信息学研究网络(BIRN)的基础设施上。该提案的具体目标如下：(1)扩展BIRN数据存储库(BDR)，以包括一个共享的数据库，其中包括脑血流测量数据和已由NIH或其他机构资助的广泛研究的相关数据。这一目标将利用和扩展BIRN基础设施工具，如用于数据存储的存储资源代理(SRB)和用于存储、查询和浏览主题和图像元数据的人体成像数据库(HID)环境。(2)标准化ASL数据采集协议和工具。为了确保提交给数据库的数据的质量，我们建议实施和传播一套全面的标准化扫描方案和质量保证程序，以指导正确获取CBF措施，并便利数据的分析和解释。公共卫生相关性：拟议的数据库将为全国各地的研究人员提供研究脑血流如何在广泛的健康状况和人群中变化的能力。数据库的规模和多样性将使原本不可能在单一研究地点进行的研究成为可能。这些研究有望使人们更好地理解脑血流测量如何促进疾病的诊断和治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cerebral blood flow (CBF) is an important physiological quantity that reflects the delivery of blood to the brain. Measures of CBF can play a critical role in furthering our understanding of how the brain is altered by factors such as disease, age, and medication. In addition, there is a growing appreciation that changes in baseline CBF can significantly alter the amplitude and shape of the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal that is measured in most functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies of the brain. As a result, a growing number of NIH-funded fMRI studies are obtaining measures of baseline CBF as part of their protocols. These measures are typically obtained using arterial spin labeling (ASL), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method that can provide quantitative measures of CBF in a relatively short amount of time (less than 10 minutes) without the need for external contrast agents. The increasing number of NIH-funded research studies acquiring ASL CBF measures presents a unique opportunity to create a comprehensive database of CBF measures spanning multiple groups and sites. The size and diversity of the combined data would greatly facilitate efforts to extend our understanding of how CBF varies with disease, age, race, ethnic origin, and medical treatment. The overall goal of this project is to create a comprehensive database of CBF measures that will allow investigators to share, analyze, mine, and interpret cerebral blood flow measures from multiple studies and sites. To achieve this goal we propose to build upon the infrastructure of the Biomedical Informatics Research Network (BIRN). The specific aims of the proposal are as follows: (1) Extend the BIRN Data Repository (BDR) to include a shared database of cerebral blood flow measures and associated data from a broad range of studies that are already funded by the NIH or other agencies. This aim will utilize and extend BIRN infrastructure tools, such as the Storage Resource Broker (SRB) for data storage and the Human Imaging Database (HID) environment for the storage, querying, and browsing of subject and image metadata. (2) Standardize protocols and tools for acquisition of ASL data. To ensure the quality of the data submitted to the database, we propose to implement and disseminate a comprehensive set of standardized scan protocols and quality assurance procedures to guide the correct acquisition of the CBF measures and facilitate the analysis and interpretation of the data. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed database will provide investigators across the country with the ability to study how cerebral blood flow varies across a wide range of health conditions and populations. The size and diversity of the database will enable studies that might not otherwise be possible at a single research site. These studies are expected to lead to a better understanding of how measures of cerebral blood flow can advance the diagnosis and treatment of disease.