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Faulkner ME, Gong Z, Guo A, Laporte JP, Bae J, Bouhrara M. Harnessing myelin water fraction as an imaging biomarker of human cerebral aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and risk factors influencing myelination: A review. J Neurochem 2024. [PMID: 38973579 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.16170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 06/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Myelin water fraction (MWF) imaging has emerged as a promising magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) biomarker for investigating brain function and composition. This comprehensive review synthesizes the current state of knowledge on MWF as a biomarker of human cerebral aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and risk factors influencing myelination. The databases used include Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct, and PubMed. We begin with a brief discussion of the theoretical foundations of MWF imaging, including its basis in MR physics and the mathematical modeling underlying its calculation, with an overview of the most adopted MRI methods of MWF imaging. Next, we delve into the clinical and research applications that have been explored to date, highlighting its advantages and limitations. Finally, we explore the potential of MWF to serve as a predictive biomarker for neurological disorders and identify future research directions for optimizing MWF imaging protocols and interpreting MWF in various contexts. By harnessing the power of MWF imaging, we may gain new insights into brain health and disease across the human lifespan, ultimately informing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Faulkner
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Zhaoyuan Gong
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Alex Guo
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - John P Laporte
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jonghyun Bae
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Mustapha Bouhrara
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Weiss V, Kokošová V, Valenta Z, Doležalová I, Baláž M, Mangia S, Michaeli S, Vojtíšek L, Nestrašil I, Herzig R, Filip P. Distance from main arteries influences microstructural and functional brain tissue characteristics. Neuroimage 2024; 285:120502. [PMID: 38103623 PMCID: PMC10804248 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Given the substantial dependence of neurons on continuous supply of energy, the distribution of major cerebral arteries opens a question whether the distance from the main supply arteries constitutes a modulating factor for the microstructural and functional properties of brain tissue. To tackle this question, multimodal MRI acquisitions of 102 healthy volunteers over the full adult age span were utilised. Relaxation along a fictitious field in the rotating frame of rank n = 4 (RAFF4), adiabatic T1ρ, T2ρ, and intracellular volume fraction (fICVF) derived from diffusion-weighted imaging were implemented to quantify microstructural (cellularity, myelin density, iron concentration) tissue characteristics and degree centrality and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations to probe for functional metrics. Inverse correlation of arterial distance with robust homogeneity was detected for T1ρ, T2ρ and RAFF4 for cortical grey matter and white matter, showing substantial complex microstructural differences between brain tissue close and farther from main arterial trunks. Albeit with wider variability, functional metrics pointed to increased connectivity and neuronal activity in areas farther from main arteries. Surprisingly, multiple of these microstructural and functional distance-based gradients diminished with higher age, pointing to uniformization of brain tissue with ageing. All in all, this pilot study provides a novel insight on brain regionalisation based on artery distance, which merits further investigation to validate its biological underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor Weiss
- First Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and University Hospital of St. Anne, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Neurology, Charles University Faculty of Medicine, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Viktória Kokošová
- First Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and University Hospital of St. Anne, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zdeněk Valenta
- Department of Statistical Modelling, Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Irena Doležalová
- First Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and University Hospital of St. Anne, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Baláž
- First Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and University Hospital of St. Anne, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Silvia Mangia
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Shalom Michaeli
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Lubomír Vojtíšek
- Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) Masaryk University, Neuroscience Centre, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Igor Nestrašil
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Roman Herzig
- Department of Neurology, Charles University Faculty of Medicine, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic; Department of Neurology, Comprehensive Stroke Center, University Hospital Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Filip
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR), University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Department of Neurology, Charles University, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
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Alsameen MH, Gong Z, Qian W, Kiely M, Triebswetter C, Bergeron CM, Cortina LE, Faulkner ME, Laporte JP, Bouhrara M. C-NODDI: a constrained NODDI model for axonal density and orientation determinations in cerebral white matter. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1205426. [PMID: 37602266 PMCID: PMC10435293 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1205426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) provides measures of neurite density and dispersion through computation of the neurite density index (NDI) and the orientation dispersion index (ODI). However, NODDI overestimates the cerebrospinal fluid water fraction in white matter (WM) and provides physiologically unrealistic high NDI values. Furthermore, derived NDI values are echo-time (TE)-dependent. In this work, we propose a modification of NODDI, named constrained NODDI (C-NODDI), for NDI and ODI mapping in WM. Methods Using NODDI and C-NODDI, we investigated age-related alterations in WM in a cohort of 58 cognitively unimpaired adults. Further, NDI values derived using NODDI or C-NODDI were correlated with the neurofilament light chain (NfL) concentration levels, a plasma biomarker of axonal degeneration. Finally, we investigated the TE dependence of NODDI or C-NODDI derived NDI and ODI. Results ODI derived values using both approaches were virtually identical, exhibiting constant trends with age. Further, our results indicated a quadratic relationship between NDI and age suggesting that axonal maturation continues until middle age followed by a decrease. This quadratic association was notably significant in several WM regions using C-NODDI, while limited to a few regions using NODDI. Further, C-NODDI-NDI values exhibited a stronger correlation with NfL concentration levels as compared to NODDI-NDI, with lower NDI values corresponding to higher levels of NfL. Finally, we confirmed the previous finding that NDI estimation using NODDI was dependent on TE, while NDI derived values using C-NODDI exhibited lower sensitivity to TE in WM. Conclusion C-NODDI provides a complementary method to NODDI for determination of NDI in white matter.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mustapha Bouhrara
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Laporte JP, Faulkner ME, Gong Z, Akhonda MA, Ferrucci L, Egan JM, Bouhrara M. Hypertensive Adults Exhibit Lower Myelin Content: A Multicomponent Relaxometry and Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. Hypertension 2023; 80:1728-1738. [PMID: 37283066 PMCID: PMC10355798 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.123.21012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is unknown whether hypertension plays any role in cerebral myelination. To fill this knowledge gap, we studied 90 cognitively unimpaired adults, age range 40 to 94 years, who are participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging and the Genetic and Epigenetic Signatures of Translational Aging Laboratory Testing to look for potential associations between hypertension and cerebral myelin content across 14 white matter brain regions. METHODS Myelin content was probed using our advanced multicomponent magnetic resonance relaxometry method of myelin water fraction, a direct and specific magnetic resonance imaging measure of myelin content, and longitudinal and transverse relaxation rates (R1 and R2), 2 highly sensitive magnetic resonance imaging metrics of myelin content. We also applied diffusion tensor imaging magnetic resonance imaging to measure fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity values, which are metrics of cerebral microstructural tissue integrity, to provide context with previous magnetic resonance imaging findings. RESULTS After adjustment of age, sex, systolic blood pressure, smoking status, diabetes status, and cholesterol level, our results indicated that participants with hypertension exhibited lower myelin water fraction, fractional anisotropy, R1 and R2 values and higher mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity, and axial diffusivity values, indicating lower myelin content and higher impairment to the brain microstructure. These associations were significant across several white matter regions, particularly in the corpus callosum, fronto-occipital fasciculus, temporal lobes, internal capsules, and corona radiata. CONCLUSIONS These original findings suggest a direct association between myelin content and hypertension and form the basis for further investigations including longitudinal assessments of this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P. Laporte
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (J.P.L., M.E.F., Z.G., M.A.B.S.A., J.M.E., M.B.), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Mary E. Faulkner
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (J.P.L., M.E.F., Z.G., M.A.B.S.A., J.M.E., M.B.), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Zhaoyuan Gong
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (J.P.L., M.E.F., Z.G., M.A.B.S.A., J.M.E., M.B.), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Mohammad A.B.S. Akhonda
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (J.P.L., M.E.F., Z.G., M.A.B.S.A., J.M.E., M.B.), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Luigi Ferrucci
- Translational Gerontology Branch (L.F.), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Josephine M. Egan
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (J.P.L., M.E.F., Z.G., M.A.B.S.A., J.M.E., M.B.), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Mustapha Bouhrara
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation (J.P.L., M.E.F., Z.G., M.A.B.S.A., J.M.E., M.B.), National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD
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Niu X, Guo Y, Chang Z, Li T, Chen Y, Zhang X, Ni H. The correlation between changes in gray matter microstructure and cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's disease. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1205838. [PMID: 37333456 PMCID: PMC10272452 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1205838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To investigate the relationship between changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and gray matter (GM) microstructure in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods A recruited cohort of 23 AD patients, 40 MCI patients, and 37 normal controls (NCs) underwent diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) for microstructure evaluation and pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) for CBF assessment. We investigated the differences in diffusion- and perfusion-related parameters across the three groups, including CBF, mean diffusivity (MD), mean kurtosis (MK), and fractional anisotropy (FA). These quantitative parameters were compared using volume-based analyses for the deep GM and surface-based analyses for the cortical GM. The correlation between CBF, diffusion parameters, and cognitive scores was assessed using Spearman coefficients, respectively. The diagnostic performance of different parameters was investigated with k-nearest neighbor (KNN) analysis, using fivefold cross-validation to generate the mean accuracy (mAcc), mean precision (mPre), and mean area under the curve (mAuc). Results In the cortical GM, CBF reduction primarily occurred in the parietal and temporal lobes. Microstructural abnormalities were predominantly noted in the parietal, temporal, and frontal lobes. In the deep GM, more regions showed DKI and CBF parametric changes at the MCI stage. MD showed most of the significant abnormalities among all the DKI metrics. The MD, FA, MK, and CBF values of many GM regions were significantly correlated with cognitive scores. In the whole sample, the MD, FA, and MK were associated with CBF in most evaluated regions, with lower CBF values associated with higher MD, lower FA, or lower MK values in the left occipital lobe, left frontal lobe, and right parietal lobe. CBF values performed best (mAuc = 0.876) for distinguishing the MCI from the NC group. Last, MD values performed best (mAuc = 0.939) for distinguishing the AD from the NC group. Conclusion Gray matter microstructure and CBF are closely related in AD. Increased MD, decreased FA, and MK are accompanied by decreased blood perfusion throughout the AD course. Furthermore, CBF values are valuable for the predictive diagnosis of MCI and AD. GM microstructural changes are promising as novel neuroimaging biomarkers of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxi Niu
- First Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ying Guo
- First Central Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhongyu Chang
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Tongtong Li
- Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Yuanyuan Chen
- Tianjin International Joint Research Center for Neural Engineering, Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | | | - Hongyan Ni
- Department of Radiology, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin, China
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Laporte JP, Faulkner ME, Gong Z, Palchamy E, Akhonda MA, Bouhrara M. Investigation of the association between central arterial stiffness and aggregate g-ratio in cognitively unimpaired adults. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1170457. [PMID: 37181577 PMCID: PMC10167487 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1170457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Stiffness of the large arteries has been shown to impact cerebral white matter (WM) microstructure in both younger and older adults. However, no study has yet demonstrated an association between arterial stiffness and aggregate g-ratio, a specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measure of axonal myelination that is highly correlated with neuronal signal conduction speed. In a cohort of 38 well-documented cognitively unimpaired adults spanning a wide age range, we investigated the association between central arterial stiffness, measured using pulse wave velocity (PWV), and aggregate g-ratio, measured using our recent advanced quantitative MRI methodology, in several cerebral WM structures. After adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, and systolic blood pressure, our results indicate that higher PWV values, that is, elevated arterial stiffness, were associated with lower aggregate g-ratio values, that is, lower microstructural integrity of WM. Compared to other brain regions, these associations were stronger and highly significant in the splenium of the corpus callosum and the internal capsules, which have been consistently documented as very sensitive to elevated arterial stiffness. Moreover, our detailed analysis indicates that these associations were mainly driven by differences in myelination, measured using myelin volume fraction, rather than axonal density, measured using axonal volume fraction. Our findings suggest that arterial stiffness is associated with myelin degeneration, and encourages further longitudinal studies in larger study cohorts. Controlling arterial stiffness may represent a therapeutic target in maintaining the health of WM tissue in cerebral normative aging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Mustapha Bouhrara
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Fu Y, Sun Y, Wang ZB, Zhang DD, Tan L, Feng JF, Cheng W, Yu JT. Associations of Life's Simple 7 with cerebral white matter hyperintensities and microstructural integrity: UK Biobank cohort study. Eur J Neurol 2023; 30:1200-1208. [PMID: 36794682 DOI: 10.1111/ene.15750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The American Heart Association Life's Simple 7 (LS7) metric was used to define optimal cardiovascular and brain health, but the associations with macrostructural hyperintensities and microstructural white matter damage are unclear. The objective was to determine the association of LS7 ideal cardiovascular health factors with macrostructural and microstructural integrity. METHOD A total of 37,140 participants with available LS7 and imaging data from UK Biobank were included in this study. Linear associations were implemented to examine the associations of LS7 score and subscores with white matter hyperintensity load (WMH) (WMH volume normalized by total white matter volume and logit-transformed) and diffusion imaging indices (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean diffusivity, orientation dispersion index [OD], intracellular volume fraction, isotropic volume fraction [ISOVF]). RESULTS In individuals (mean age 54.76 years; 19,697 females, 52.4%), higher LS7 score and subscores were strongly associated with lower WMH and microstructural white matter injury, including OD, ISOVF, FA. Both interaction analyses and stratified analyses of LS7 score and subscores with age and sex showed a strong association with microstructural damage markers, with remarkable age and sex differences. The association of OD was pronounced in females and populations younger than 50 years and FA, mean diffusivity and ISOVF were pronounced in males and populations older than 50 years. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that healthier LS7 profiles are associated with better profiles of both macrostructural and microstructural markers of brain health, and indicate that ideal cardiovascular health is associated with improved brain health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Fu
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Zhi-Bo Wang
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Dan-Dan Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Lan Tan
- Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China
| | - Jian-Feng Feng
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence (Fudan University), China.,Fudan ISTBI-ZJNU Algorithm Centre for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.,MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Zhangjiang Fudan International Innovation Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei Cheng
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence (Fudan University), China.,Fudan ISTBI-ZJNU Algorithm Centre for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China.,Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai, China
| | - Jin-Tai Yu
- Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, National Center for Neurological Disorders, Shanghai, China
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