Dr Peter Wothers - Using Xenon to Image Living Lungs

[@TheRoyalInstitution]

Although Xenon is an asphyxiant it does interestingly have anaesthetic properties which is due to the fact that it's an NMDA receptor antagonist. It is therefore a dissociative anaesthesia.

[@tomcollproductions]

Wow this is a good one! Nothing better than testing the element on the lecturer!

[@TheRoyalInstitution]

They'll appear on the Ri Channel (google: Ri Channel) website to stream in about a weeks time! If you follow our twitter (@ri_science) we'll announce when they're up!

[@MLiljeroth]

The signal is generated from the movement of nuclear spins caused by the application of an RF pulse. Once Xenon dissolves in the blood it will require an RF pulse of a different frequency. You'd have to switch resonance frequencies to see xenon dissolved in blood (unless you've got an insanely large bandwidth)

[@WilbertKiemeneij]

Thanks, I can't wait!

[@jhoughjr1]

Why the lead apron over the imaging area?

[@WilbertKiemeneij]

Can anyone tell me when the lectures are going to be available online? I couldn't watch them here in the Netherlands, and I'm really curious...

[@didaloca]

If Xenon can cross into the bloodstream (as he said before, it is a slight anesthetic) , then why can't you see any blood vessels? I'm assuming that not enough transfers to see it.

[@AlexanderH007]

You should have used radioactive Xenon which is what they use in Nuclear Medicine Lung Ventilation studies.

[@GregSamsa999]

I´m sorry, you just made a mistake of Noble magnitude.

[@thatplane3865]

Mariano Cepeda hahahahaha but xenon is fine to inhale but great joke

[@MPOTW]

Sheffield University deliberatly intoxicating Peter Wothers so Cambridge's Chemistry department is hindered

[@EDUARDO12348]

Ok I did it, how does Xenon leave the body? lol seriously

[@cesarfiladelfo]

Probably isn't because of xenon, but the lack of oxygen to the brain causes the nervous system effect. And thinking about gases in the bloodstream, they must be dissolved, and this could change the physicochemical properties that are needed for the signaling on the MRI-scan.

[@walterdennisclark]

That is the least scientific video I have ever seen. What is hyper polarized? How does MRI work? Why does Xe glow? Why does hydrogen glow when Xe doesn't Why is Xe his favorite? Because it is used in MRI. That's a pretty dumb reason. It doesn't take much to be a scientist in England I guess.