The Potential for Advanced Magnetic Resonance Neuroimaging Techniques in Pediatric Stroke Research

This article was written to provide clinicians and researchers with an overview of a number of advanced neuroimaging techniques in an effort to promote increased utility and the design of future studies using advanced neuroimaging in childhood stroke. The current capabilities of advanced magnetic resonance imaging techniques provide the opportunity to build on our knowledge of the consequences of stroke on the developing brain. These capabilities include providing information about the physiology, metabolism, structure, and function of the brain that are not routinely evaluated in the clinical setting.

During the Proceedings of the Stroke Imaging Laboratory for Children Workshop in Toronto in June 2015, a subgroup of clinicians and imaging researchers discussed how the application of advanced neuroimaging techniques could further our understanding of the mechanisms of stroke injury and repair in the pediatric population. This subgroup was established based on their interest and commitment to design collaborative, advanced neuroimaging studies in the pediatric stroke population.

In working toward this goal, we first sought to describe here the magnetic resonance imaging techniques that are currently available for use, and how they have been applied in other stroke populations (e.g., adult and perinatal stroke).

With the continued improvement in advanced neuroimaging techniques, including shorter acquisition times, there is an opportunity to apply these techniques to their full potential in the research setting and learn more about the effects of stroke in the developing brain.