Non-contrast MRI assessment of CSF drainage into superior sagittal sinus

Motivation: The absorption of CSF into the superior-sagittal-sinus (SSS) is an important CSF drainage pathway and has been implicated in brain disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and idiopathic-intracranial-hypertension. However, we still lack non-invasive and non-contrast techniques to evaluate this CSF-venous drainage system. Goal(s): To develop a novel non-contrast MRI technique to assess the CSF drainage into the SSS. Approach: We propose to magnetically label the CSF spins and use a control-label subtraction to isolate signals from the CSF spins that have been absorbed into SSS. Results: In all subjects, we observed considerable signals from absorbed CSF spins in frontal SSS. Test-retest experiments demonstrated good reproducibility. Impact: We have proposed a novel non-contrast MRI technique to assess the drainage of CSF into the superior-sagittal-sinus, which may address an important technical gap in evaluating the circulation of CSF.