MRI-based 3D estimation of skeletal muscle architecture and strain during contraction

Skeletal muscle generates forces that drive the motion of the human body. Three-dimensional (3D) quantification of whole-muscle architecture and strain, and their relationship during contraction is critical to understanding the mechanical function of skeletal muscle in health and disease. This has proven to be challenging, as brightness mode ultrasound is capable of measuring muscle architecture during contraction but cannot capture 3D changes in whole-muscle architecture, while Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)-based tractography can measure 3D whole-muscle architecture but its use during contraction is precluded by long scan times (>5 min). In this study, we implement DTI-based tractography with an image registration-based approach, previously validated under passive deformation, to estimate 3D whole-muscle architecture of the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle during moderate intensity contractions (20-40 % MVC). Moreover, this approach allows the measurement of whole-muscle strain during contraction, facilitating the evaluation of intramuscular relationships between architecture and strain. Our results show a decrease in the fiber-tract length, an increase in the pennation angle, and an increase in the fiber curvature of the TA during contraction. Intramuscular strain heterogeneity was observed between and within different regions of the muscle, with exploratory analyses suggesting that regional strain heterogeneity could be influenced by muscle architecture. Our results showcase the potential of MRI-based methods to obtain 3D estimates of whole-muscle architecture and strain during contraction, providing a breadth of new data that allows for new avenues of skeletal muscle biomechanical research.