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Resting-State Brain Temperature: Dynamic Fluctuations in Brain Temperature and the Brain-Body Temperature Gradient
Dongsuk Sung1,2, Benjamin B Risk3, Kelly J Wang1,4
1Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging : JMRI
|July 29, 2022
Summary
Healthy brain temperature fluctuates significantly over short periods, with changes likely physiological rather than measurement errors. This study highlights the dynamic nature of brain temperature over approximately one hour.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
- Physiology
Background:
- Brain temperature dynamics over short timescales (approx. 1 hour) are not well understood.
- Previous research focused on longer periods (weeks to months).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate physiological fluctuations in human brain temperature.
- To assess brain temperature dynamics over approximately one-hour intervals in healthy volunteers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 3T MRI with T1-weighted MPRAGE and sLASER spectroscopy.
- Calculated brain temperature from the chemical shift difference between N-acetylaspartate and water.
- Assessed within-scan and between-scan repeatability of brain temperature and brain-body temperature differences.
Main Results:
- Observed a significant difference in brain temperature between scans (-0.4°C), while body temperature remained stable.
- Brain temperature (37.9°C ± 0.7°C) was consistently higher than body temperature (36.5°C ± 0.5°C).
- High within-scan repeatability (Rw = 0.95 for brain temperature) contrasted with high variability between scans (Rb = 0.30).
Conclusions:
- Significant physiological changes in brain temperature occur over ~1-hour periods.
- High short-term repeatability indicates that observed temperature changes are physiological, not artifacts.
- This study provides new insights into the short-term thermoregulation of the human brain.
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