TY - JOUR
T1 - Stiffness and beyond
T2 - What MR elastography can tell us about brain structure and function under physiologic and pathologic conditions
AU - Yin, Ziying
AU - Romano, Anthony J.
AU - Manduca, Armando
AU - Ehman, Richard L.
AU - Huston, John
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Brain magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) was developed on the basis of a desire to "palpate by imaging" and is becoming a powerful tool in the investigation of neurophysiological and neuropathological states. Measurements are acquired with a specialized MR phase-contrast pulse sequence that can detect tissue motion in response to an applied external or internal excitation. The tissue viscoelasticity is then reconstructed from the measured displacement. Quantitative characterization of brain viscoelastic behaviors provides us an insight into the brain structure and function by assessing the mechanical rigidity, viscosity, friction, and connectivity of brain tissues. Changes in these features are associated with inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration that contribute to brain disease onset and progression. Here, we review the basic principles and limitations of brain MRE and summarize its current neuroanatomical studies and clinical applications to the most common neurosurgical and neurodegenerative disorders, including intracranial tumors, dementia, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and traumatic brain injury. Going forward, further improvement in acquisition techniques, stable inverse reconstruction algorithms, and advanced numerical, physical, and preclinical validation models is needed to increase the utility of brain MRE in both research and clinical applications.
AB - Brain magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) was developed on the basis of a desire to "palpate by imaging" and is becoming a powerful tool in the investigation of neurophysiological and neuropathological states. Measurements are acquired with a specialized MR phase-contrast pulse sequence that can detect tissue motion in response to an applied external or internal excitation. The tissue viscoelasticity is then reconstructed from the measured displacement. Quantitative characterization of brain viscoelastic behaviors provides us an insight into the brain structure and function by assessing the mechanical rigidity, viscosity, friction, and connectivity of brain tissues. Changes in these features are associated with inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration that contribute to brain disease onset and progression. Here, we review the basic principles and limitations of brain MRE and summarize its current neuroanatomical studies and clinical applications to the most common neurosurgical and neurodegenerative disorders, including intracranial tumors, dementia, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and traumatic brain injury. Going forward, further improvement in acquisition techniques, stable inverse reconstruction algorithms, and advanced numerical, physical, and preclinical validation models is needed to increase the utility of brain MRE in both research and clinical applications.
KW - brain
KW - dementia
KW - intracranial tumors
KW - magnetic resonance elastography
KW - multiple sclerosis
KW - neurodegenerative diseases
KW - slip interface imaging
KW - stiffness
KW - viscoelasticity
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U2 - 10.1097/RMR.0000000000000178
DO - 10.1097/RMR.0000000000000178
M3 - Review article
C2 - 30289827
AN - SCOPUS:85054457571
SN - 0899-3459
VL - 27
SP - 305
EP - 318
JO - Topics in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
JF - Topics in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
IS - 5
ER -