Regional Correlation of Stiffness and Perfusion in the Human Brain at 7T MRI through MR Elastography and Arterial Spin Labeling Techniques

Motivation: We are motivated to understand the impact of blood flow on the mechanical properties of brain tissue for applications in neurodegenerative pathophysiology. Goal(s): Our goal was to establish a novel postprocessing framework for correlation of structural and functional properties characterized by MR elastography (MRE) and pulsed arterial spin labeling (PASL). Approach: We obtained MRE and PASL in 8 healthy controls, segmented the brain, and conducted regional correlation analyses of elastograms and perfusion maps. Results: After successful data processing and validation, we found significant inverse correlations in the cortical gray matter, some cortex regions, as well as a similar nonsignificant trend in other regions. Impact: These study results, which show a perfusion–stiffness relationship in some brain regions, point to an underlying biological mechanism relating vasculature and viscoelastic properties; however, this research direction needs further investigation, more subjects, and improved ASL techniques to strengthen regional analysis.