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Updated: Oct 15, 2025
High-resolution Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Human Subcortex In Vivo and Postmortem
Published on: December 30, 2015
Post mortem brain temperature and its influence on quantitative MRI of the brain
Celine Berger1,2, Melanie Bauer3,4, Holger Wittig3,4
1Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. celine.berger@unibas.ch.
Objective:
MRI temperature sensitivity presents a major issue in in situ post mortem MRI (PMMRI), as the tissue temperatures differ from living persons due to passive cooling of the deceased. This study aims at computing brain temperature effects on the MRI parameters to correct for temperature in PMMRI, laying the foundation for future projects on post mortem validation of in vivo MRI techniques.
Materials And Methods:
Brain MRI parameters were assessed in vivo and in situ post mortem using a 3 T MRI scanner. Post mortem brain temperature was measured in situ transethmoidally. The temperature effect was computed by fitting a linear model to the MRI parameters and the corresponding brain temperature.
Results:
Linear positive temperature correlations were observed for T1, T2* and mean diffusivity in all tissue types. A significant negative correlation was observed for T2 in white matter. Fractional anisotropy revealed significant correlations in all gray matter regions except for the thalamus.
Discussion:
The linear models will allow to correct for temperature in post mortem MRI. Comparing in vivo to post mortem conditions, the mean diffusivity, in contrast to T1 and T2, revealed additional effects besides temperature, such as cessation of perfusion and active diffusion.
Insights
Post mortem MRI (PMMRI) brain temperature affects MRI parameters. This study develops linear models to correct for temperature effects in PMMRI, enabling validation of in vivo MRI techniques.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Imaging
- Neuroscience
- Medical Physics
Background:
- MRI temperature sensitivity is a challenge in post mortem MRI (PMMRI) due to temperature differences from living subjects.
- Passive cooling of deceased individuals leads to altered tissue temperatures, impacting MRI data.
- Accurate temperature correction is crucial for validating in vivo MRI techniques using post mortem data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compute the effects of brain temperature on MRI parameters in post mortem conditions.
- To establish a foundation for correcting temperature-related variations in PMMRI.
- To enable future validation of in vivo MRI techniques against post mortem findings.
Main Methods:
- Assessed brain MRI parameters in vivo and in situ post mortem using a 3 Tesla (3T) MRI scanner.
- Measured post mortem brain temperature transethmoidally in situ.
- Computed temperature effects by fitting linear models to MRI parameters and corresponding brain temperatures.
Main Results:
- Observed linear positive temperature correlations for T1, T2*, and mean diffusivity across all tissue types.
- Found a significant negative correlation for T2 in white matter.
- Fractional anisotropy showed significant correlations in most gray matter regions, excluding the thalamus.
Conclusions:
- Developed linear models to enable temperature correction in post mortem MRI.
- Mean diffusivity, unlike T1 and T2, indicated additional post mortem effects beyond temperature, such as cessation of perfusion and diffusion changes.
- Findings facilitate more accurate comparisons between in vivo and post mortem MRI data.
