Non-Invasive MRI of Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier Function.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Physiology

Background:

• The blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) is crucial for brain homeostasis.
• Assessing BCSFB function non-invasively has been a significant challenge.
• Understanding BCSFB's role in brain development and pathology requires functional assessment tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method for quantifying BCSFB function.
• To assess BCSFB function changes in aged mice and compare it with parenchymal blood flow.
• To explore the relationship between BCSFB function and ventricular morphology, and demonstrate human brain applicability.

Main Methods:

• Development of a tracer-free MRI technique to measure water delivery rates from blood to cerebrospinal fluid.
• Application of the MRI method in aged mice to quantify BCSFB function.
• Correlation analysis between BCSFB function, parenchymal blood flow, and ventricular morphology.

Main Results:

• A novel non-invasive MRI method was established for BCSFB functional assessment.
• A 36% decrease in BCSFB function was observed in aged mice.
• The study demonstrated the method's applicability to the human brain, highlighting BCSFB as a potential diagnostic target.

Conclusions:

• The developed non-invasive MRI technique allows for safe and accurate quantification of BCSFB function.
• BCSFB function significantly declines with age, presenting a potential biomarker for neurodegenerative processes.
• The BCSFB is identified as a promising new target for diagnostics and therapeutics in neurological disorders.