Selective filters of translational molecular diffusion dynamics in human brain microstructures

ANALIA ZWICK; EZEQUIEL SAIDMAN; STEFANO TAMBALO; MANUELA MORETTO; LISA NOVELLO; JORGE JOVICICH; GONZALO A. ALVAREZ; THORSTEN FEIWEIER

Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

Wiley

Año: 2024

Motivation: Our primary aim is to enhance non-invasive tissue-microstructure characterization as a diagnostic paradigm through advanced MRI methods.Goaall(ss): We explore microscopic tortuosity in human white matter using the Non-uniform Oscillating-Gradient Spin-Echo (NOGSE) contrast in a clinical 3T MRI scanner.Approach: The NOGSE contrast was obtained by subtracting distinct OGSE acquisitions, allowing the discrimination of signals from molecules within specific brain compartments.Results: We found restriction sizes consistent with human histological findings, and evidence that the dominant signals originate from extra-axonal spaces, supporting microscopic tortuosity effects. This compartment-size specific contrast opens a path for diagnosis based on quantitative imaging.Impact: We characterize microscopic-tortuosity mechanisms in human-brain white matter through the Non-uniform Oscillating-Gradient Spin-Echo contrast, which targets the signal of confined molecules in specific microscopic sizes. This novel contrast, demonstrated at 3T MRI, promises a quantitative tissue-microstructure paradigm for medical diagnosis of diseases.