Triple quantum (TQ) sodium MRI techniques with clinically acceptable 18-min data acquisition times were demonstrated in vivo in a nonhuman primate model of focal brain ischemia. Focal brain ischemia was induced in four animals using embolization coils to occlude the posterior cerebral artery, and a balloon catheter to occlude the middle cerebral artery. A statistically significant increase (P < 0.001) in the TQ sodium MRI signal intensity in the ischemic hemisphere relative to the contralateral hemisphere was seen at all time points in all four animals. This increased TQ sodium MRI signal intensity was demonstrated as early as 0.6 hr after the onset of ischemia. The TQ sodium MRI hyperintensity corresponded to the anatomical location of the ischemic cortex, as indicated by the registration of the TQ imaging data with anatomical proton MRI data. The results demonstrate that early after the onset of ischemia, there was an increase in the TQ signal intensity in the ischemic hemisphere, and a negligible change in the single quantum (SQ) signal intensity.