Korean Journal of Radiology

The Korean Society of Radiology (대한영상의학회)
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Viscoelastic Property of the Brain Assessed With Magnetic Resonance Elastography and Its Association With Glymphatic System in Neurologically Normal Individuals

  • Bio Joo (Department of Radiology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine) ;
  • So Yeon Won (Department of Radiology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine) ;
  • Ralph Sinkus (School of Biomedical Imaging and Imaging Sciences, King's College London) ;
  • Seung-Koo Lee (Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiological Science and Center for Clinical Image Data Science, Yonsei University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2022.12.16
  • Accepted : 2023.03.27
  • Published : 2023.06.01
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Abstract

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of assessing the viscoelastic properties of the brain using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and a novel MRE transducer to determine the relationship between the viscoelastic properties and glymphatic function in neurologically normal individuals. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 47 neurologically normal individuals aged 23-74 years (male-to-female ratio, 21:26). The MRE was acquired using a gravitational transducer based on a rotational eccentric mass as the driving system. The magnitude of the complex shear modulus |G*| and the phase angle 𝛗 were measured in the centrum semiovale area. To evaluate glymphatic function, the Diffusion Tensor Image Analysis Along the Perivascular Space (DTI-ALPS) method was utilized and the ALPS index was calculated. Univariable and multivariable (variables with P < 0.2 from the univariable analysis) linear regression analyses were performed for |G*| and 𝛗 and included sex, age, normalized white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, brain parenchymal volume, and ALPS index as covariates. Results: In the univariable analysis for |G*|, age (P = 0.005), brain parenchymal volume (P = 0.152), normalized WMH volume (P = 0.011), and ALPS index (P = 0.005) were identified as candidates with P < 0.2. In the multivariable analysis, only the ALPS index was independently associated with |G*|, showing a positive relationship (β = 0.300, P = 0.029). For 𝛗, normalized WMH volume (P = 0.128) and ALPS index (P = 0.015) were identified as candidates for multivariable analysis, and only the ALPS index was independently associated with 𝛗 (β = 0.057, P = 0.039). Conclusion: Brain MRE using a gravitational transducer is feasible in neurologically normal individuals over a wide age range. The significant correlation between the viscoelastic properties of the brain and glymphatic function suggests that a more organized or preserved microenvironment of the brain parenchyma is associated with a more unimpeded glymphatic fluid flow.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors thank Medical Illustration & Design, part of the Medical Research Support Services of Yonsei University College of Medicine, for all artistic support related to this work.

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