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Cited by 26Advanced MRI Techniques and ApplicationsUltrasound Imaging and ElastographyAdvanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications

Imaging brain function with simultaneous BOLD and viscoelasticity contrast: fMRI/fMRE

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Lan, Patricia S., Glaser, Kevin J., Ehman, Richard L., Glover, Gary H.·2020·NeuroImage
DOI 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116592PMC PMC7153752
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Abstract

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is emerging as a new tool for studying viscoelastic changes in the brain resulting from functional processes. Here, we demonstrate a novel time series method to generate robust functional magnetic resonance elastography (fMRE) activation maps in response to a visual task with a flashing checkerboard stimulus. Using a single-shot spin-echo (SS-SE) pulse sequence, the underlying raw images inherently contain blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) contrast, allowing simultaneous generation of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activation maps from the magnitude and functional magnetic resonance elastography (fMRE) maps from the phase. This allows an accurate comparison of the spatially localized stiffness (fMRE) and BOLD (fMRI) changes within a single scan, eliminating confounds inherent in separately acquired scans. Results indicate that tissue stiffness within the visual cortex increases 6–11% with visual stimuli, whereas the BOLD signal change was 1–2%. Furthermore, the fMRE and fMRI activation maps have strong spatial overlap within the visual cortex, providing convincing evidence that fMRE is possible in the brain. However, the fMRE temporal SNR (tSNRfMRE) maps are heterogeneous across the brain. Using a dictionary matching approach to characterize the time series, the viscoelastic changes are consistent with a viscoelastic response function (VRF) time constant of 12.1 ​s ± 3.0 ​s for a first-order exponential decay, or a shape parameter of 8.1 ​s ± 1.4 ​s for a gamma-variate.

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  • In humans, visual stimulation increased stiffness in visual cortex by about 6-11%.

    “In humans, visual stimulation increased stiffness in visual cortex by about 6–11% (Lan et al., 2020)”

    From 40 Years of diffusion MRI in the brain: From history to emerging frontiers (2026) · cites this paper as Lan et al., 2020

  • Cortical stiffness estimated through conventional MRE (functional MRE) has been reported to transiently increase during neuronal activation induced by sensory or motor stimulation, suggesting that viscoelastic neural properties are modulated by physiological activation.

    “Interestingly, cortical stiffness estimated through conventional MRE (functional MRE) has been reported to transiently increase during neuronal activation induced by sensory or motor stimulation, suggesting that viscoelastic neural properties are modulated by physiological activation.”

    From 40 Years of diffusion MRI in the brain: From history to emerging frontiers (2026) · cites this paper as Lan et al., 2020

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Cited by

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Authors
Lan, P. S., Glaser, K. J., Ehman, R. L., & Glover, G. H.
Affiliations
  • Stanford University (US)
  • Mayo Clinic (US)
  • Stanford Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Lan, Patricia S.
ORCID
Venue
NeuroImage
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2020-05
Volume
211
Pages
116592
ISSN
1053-8119 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116592
PMC
PMC7153752
OpenAlex
W3004029569
Cited by
26
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2
FWCI
1.70
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • NeuroImage (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Ultrasound Imaging and Elastography
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging › Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications
Keywords
BOLD contrast, brain viscoelasticity, tissue stiffness, visual cortex, activation maps, dictionary matching, temporal signal-to-noise ratio
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain Mapping, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Visual Cortex, Elasticity Imaging Techniques, Young Adult

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