Viscoelasticity of subcortical gray matter structures.

ABSTRACT: Viscoelastic mechanical properties of the brain assessed with magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) are sensitive measures of microstructural tissue health in neurodegenerative conditions. Recent efforts have targeted measurements localized to specific neuroanatomical regions differentially affected in disease. In this work, we present a method for measuring the viscoelasticity in subcortical gray matter (SGM) structures, including the amygdala, hippocampus, caudate, putamen, pallidum, and thalamus. The method is based on incorporating high spatial resolution MRE imaging (1.6 mm isotropic voxels) with a mechanical inversion scheme designed to improve local measures in pre-defined regions (soft prior regularization [SPR]). We find that in 21 healthy, young volunteers SGM structures differ f

SUBMITTER: Johnson CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5118063 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature