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3D Modeling of the Lateral Ventricles and Histological Characterization of Periventricular Tissue in Humans and Mouse
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Impact of physiological factors on longitudinal structural MRI measures of the brain

Uzma Zahid1, Emily P Hedges1, Mihail Dimitrov2

  • 1Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, United Kingdom.

Psychiatry Research. Neuroimaging
|February 8, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Physiological factors like hydration and blood pressure do not significantly affect brain volume changes measured in longitudinal MRI studies. This finding supports the reliability of brain volume estimation in clinical research.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Longitudinal MRI studies track illness progression and treatment effects, often detecting subtle brain volume changes (<5%).
  • Concerns exist that physiological variations (dehydration, blood pressure, caffeine, circadian rhythm) may confound these small volume change estimates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of physiological factors on longitudinal brain volume changes.
  • To quantify potential confounding effects in MRI-based clinical research.

Main Methods:

  • Acquired MRI scans from 20 participants (ADNI-III protocol) at two time points (mean interval 20.3 days).
  • Recorded hydration, blood pressure, caffeine intake, and time of day at both visits.
  • Processed images with FreeSurfer, analyzing hypothesized (hippocampus, lateral ventricles, total brain) and exploratory regions.

Main Results:

  • No significant effect of hydration, blood pressure, caffeine, or time of day on regional brain volume changes was detected.
  • Provided estimates for maximum expected percentage change in regional brain volumes due to normal physiological variations.

Conclusions:

  • Normal variations in physiological parameters did not demonstrate a detectable effect on longitudinal brain volume changes in this study.
  • Findings suggest that standard physiological fluctuations do not significantly confound subtle brain volume changes in longitudinal MRI research.
Keywords:
CaffeineHippocampusHydrationLateral ventricleLongitudinalMRI

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