Elsevier

NeuroImage

Volume 125, 15 January 2016, Pages 895-902
NeuroImage

Visualization of perivascular spaces in the human brain at 7 T: sequence optimization and morphology characterization

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.10.078Get rights and content

Highlights

  • We optimized MRI parameters for imaging perivascular spaces (PVSs) at 7 T.

  • We developed a semi-automatic segmentation method for delineating PVS.

  • We found much larger numbers of PVSs in young healthy subjects than previously reported.

  • We reported PVS morphological features in both centrum semiovale and subcortical nuclei.

Abstract

Noninvasive imaging of perivascular spaces (PVSs) may provide useful insights into their role in normal brain physiology and diseases. Fast MRI sequences with sub-millimeter spatial resolutions and high contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) are required for accurate delineation of PVS in human. To achieve the optimal condition for PVS imaging at 7 T, we carried out detailed simulation and experimental studies to characterize the dependence of CNR on imaging sequences (T1 versus T2-weighted) and sequence parameters. In addition, PVSs were segmented semi-automatically, which revealed much larger numbers of PVSs in young healthy subjects (age 21–37 years) than previously reported. To the best of our knowledge, our study provides, for the first time, detailed length, volume, and diameter distributions of PVS in the white matter and subcortical nuclei, which can serve as a reference for future studies of PVS abnormalities under diseased conditions.

Introduction

Perivascular spaces (PVSs), also known as the Virchow–Robin spaces, are fluid-filled spaces surrounding penetrating arteries and veins in the brain (Esiri and Gay, 1990). While enlarged PVSs are commonly observed in MR images in a number of neurological disorders (Conforti et al., 2013, Doubal et al., 2010, Inglese et al., 2005, Li et al., 2014, Potter et al., 2013, Rouhl et al., 2012, Wardlaw, 2010), normal PVSs are typically not visible due to their small sizes, particularly in young adults; histopathological findings have suggested a positive relation between the dimensions of PVS and age (Pesce and Carli, 1988). However, the physiological and pathophysiological significances of PVS remain elusive. Recently, several lines of evidence have suggested that PVS is a part of the brain “lymphatic” system through which interstitial solutes are cleared from the brain (Iliff et al., 2013, Kress et al., 2014, Rangroo Thrane et al., 2013, Yang et al., 2013). Specifically, it has been demonstrated that arterial pulsation drives subarachnoid cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) flow into the PVS, clearing soluble proteins such as amyloid beta (Aβ) from the brain (Bilston et al., 2003, Iliff et al., 2013). Dysfunction of PVS pathways thus may lead to enlarged PVS, increased Aβ deposition, and subsequent neuronal dysfunction and loss, which clearly have profound implications in Alzheimer's disease (Iliff et al., 2012, Yang et al., 2013). While these recent studies have provided invaluable insights into the functions of PVS for cleaning interstitial solutes, they employed invasive approaches such as two-photon microscopy or infusion of fluorescent and radio-labeled tracers that are not applicable to humans (Iliff et al., 2013, Kress et al., 2014, Rangroo Thrane et al., 2013, Yang et al., 2013).

Noninvasive imaging of PVS morphology may provide important insights into the functional status of PVS. Both T1- and T2-weighted MRI sequences have been employed for imaging PVS (Bouvy et al., 2014, Maclullich et al., 2004, Wuerfel et al., 2008, Zhu et al., 2011). However, previously reported results have largely focused on abnormal (“dilated” or “enlarged”) PVS using relatively low-resolution images with respect to the diameters of normal PVSs which are typically in the range of 0.13–0.96 mm, with the majority below 0.5 mm (Pesce and Carli, 1988). As a result, the normal morphological features of PVS remain elusive. The increased signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at 7 T enables acquisition of high resolution anatomical images and could potentially enhance our ability to discern normal patterns of PVS beyond those reported at a lower magnetic field (Bouvy et al., 2014, Maclullich et al., 2004, Wuerfel et al., 2008). Bouvy et al. reported normal PVS at 7 T using isotropic spatial resolutions of 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.5 mm3 and 0.7 × 0.7 × 0.7 mm3 with magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo (MPRAGE) and T2-weighted variable flip angle (VFA) turbo spin echo (TSE) sequences, respectively (Bouvy et al., 2014). However, it is unclear if the resolutions employed by Bouvy et al. were sufficient to clearly delineate normal PVS, nor is it clear if the imaging parameters were optimized. Furthermore, quantitative measures of morphological features, such as length or diameter distributions, were not provided. To this end, we carried out both simulation and experimental studies to optimize imaging parameters of the MPRAGE and VFA-TSE sequences (Busse et al., 2006, Mugler and Brookeman, 1990) to maximize contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for PVS at 7 T. Specifically, simulations were carried out to study the sequence parameter dependence of PVS to white matter (WM) contrast in T1 and T2-weighted sequences. Subsequently, the sequence with the imaging parameters that provided the highest CNR was employed to image PVS, which in turn enabled segmentation of PVS over the whole imaging volume using a semi-automatic method. Finally, we analyzed the morphological features of extracted PVS, including diameter, length, and volume distributions over the WM and subcortical nuclei including basal ganglia and thalamus.

Section snippets

Methods and materials

A total of 7 healthy volunteers were recruited (ages 21–37). The study was approved by local institutional review board and written consents were obtained from all subjects. All images were acquired on a 7 T Siemens scanner using a 32-channel receive head coil and a single-channel volume transmit coil (Nova Medical, Wilmington, MA). Due to the known B1 inhomogeneity at 7 T (Vaughan et al., 2001), the transmitter voltage was calibrated such that the flip angle (FA) matched with the true FA at the

Simulation

Figs. 2(A) and (B) show examples of the simulated evolution of the echo train signals in PVS and WM for the MPRAGE and TSE sequences, respectively. Here, the MPRAGE was simulated with TI = 1800 ms and FA = 8°. The contrasts calculated as the signal differences between PVS and WM at the echo for ky = 0 are denoted by the vertical lines. It is evident that the maximum contrast in the TSE sequence is ~ 10 times higher than that in the MPRAGE sequence, indicating that TSE sequences are more suitable for

Discussion

In this paper, simulation and experimental evaluations of the CNR of T1-weighted MPRAGE and T2-weighted VFA-TSE sequences for visualization of PVS in the human brain were conducted at 7 T. Both simulation and experimental results show that TSE sequence provides a much higher CNR than MP-RAGE, which can be explained by two factors. First, the ratio of T2 (= 8.0) between PVS and WM is much greater than that of T1 (= 2.6), leading to a greater signal difference between the two tissues with a T2

Conclusions

In conclusion, the T2-weighted VFA-TSE sequence had a much higher CNR for PVS visualization than the T1-weighted MPRAGE sequence. The optimized T2-weighted sequence with TE = 319 ms and 0.4 mm isotropic resolution enabled the visualization of a large number of PVSs in WM and SN in young healthy subjects. A semi-automatic method was developed to segment the PVS and reveal the detailed distributions of the length, volume, and diameter of PVS. Our approach enables accurate characterization of the

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