A Study of [13C]Pyruvate as an Imaging Agent for Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Healthy Volunteers

The purpose of the study is to learn about the use of \[13C\]pyruvate as an imaging agent for MRI scans. In past studies, researchers have seen that \[13C\]pyruvate can improve imaging with MRI scans. However, they would like to know more about how the imaging agent is distributed in healthy organs and tissues. This study will provide additional information about the use of \[13C\]pyruvate as an imaging agent for MRI scans, and it will show us how the substance is metabolized (changed into energy) in the organs and tissues of healthy volunteers. For (n=5) volunteers undergoing brain imaging we will compare the standard injection at 5mL/second with a slower infusion (0.1-1mL/second) to achieve a 60 second infusion time, to approach quasi steady-state metabolism and improve SNR.