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Investigating skeletal muscle micro-trauma with time-dependent diffusion and the random permeable barrier model
Susanne S Rauh1,2,3, Donnie Cameron4,5, Oliver J Gurney-Champion6
1Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. s.s.rauh@amsterdamumc.nl.
Scientific Reports
|December 31, 2024
Summary
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) can detect muscle micro-trauma after marathon running. Increased membrane permeability, not diffusion time, indicates muscle injury, suggesting potential for RPBM parameters as a biomarker.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Radiology
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Skeletal muscle micro-trauma from strenuous exercise can lead to severe damage.
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is sensitive to microstructural changes in muscle tissue.
- The random permeable barrier model (RPBM) can quantify muscle membrane properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if longer diffusion times in DTI enhance sensitivity to exercise-induced muscle micro-trauma.
- To assess changes in muscle microstructure and membrane permeability following marathon running.
- To evaluate the potential of RPBM-derived parameters as biomarkers for muscle injury.
Main Methods:
- DTI scans of thigh muscles were acquired from ten male runners before and after a marathon at various diffusion times (28.1, 116.7, 316.7 ms).
- The RPBM was applied to radial diffusivities to estimate fiber diameter and membrane permeability.
- Statistical analysis using a linear mixed model compared DTI and RPBM parameters across time points and diffusion times.
Main Results:
- Most DTI parameters, excluding fractional anisotropy (FA), showed significant changes between pre- and post-marathon time points.
- No significant difference in the percentage change of DTI parameters was observed across different diffusion times.
- Muscle membrane permeability significantly increased at 24-48 hours and 2 weeks post-marathon compared to baseline.
Conclusions:
- Extended diffusion times did not improve DTI's sensitivity to detect marathon-induced muscle micro-trauma.
- Increased membrane permeability, as measured by RPBM, is a sensitive indicator of post-exercise muscle damage.
- RPBM-derived parameters show promise as reliable biomarkers for assessing muscle micro-trauma and injury.
