Imaging GBCA enhancement in the periosteal and meningeal layers of dura mater using high resolution MRI at 7T

Motivation: The GBCA enhancement detected in the parasagittal dura (PSD) is hypothesized to originate from the dura mater blood vessels lacking a blood-brain-barrier. The dura mater consists of two layers: periosteal and meningeal dura mater. No prior study has examined the pattern of GBCA enhancement within these layers. Goal(s): To visualize GBCA enhancement in the periosteal and meningeal layers of dura mater in the human brain. Approach: High-resolution black-blood and FLAIR MRI were performed at 7T. Results: The two layers and their GBCA-enhancement could be visualized. T1 and T2* values in each layer were measured. Impact: This work allows us investigate the relationship between GBCA-enhancement in the dura mater and GBCA-induced-signal-changes in the PSD and meningeal-lymphatic-vessels. This is of importance given that GBCA-enhanced MRI has been a gold-standard technique for investigating human brain clearance.