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First Noninvasive MRI Maps Brain’s Tiniest Vessel Pulses, Tying Aging and Hypertension to Deep White Matter

USC researchers used 7T VASO–ASL imaging to quantify microvascular volumetric pulsatility in vivo to support development of an early dementia biomarker.

Guo et al. present a novel MRI technique at 7 Tesla that enables the first layer-resolved mapping of cerebral microvascular volumetric pulsatility across cortical and white matter regions. Image/Stevens INI
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Overview

  • The peer-reviewed study in Nature Cardiovascular Research reports the first in vivo, noninvasive measurements of microvascular volumetric pulsatility in humans.
  • An ultra-high-field 7T MRI protocol combines vascular space occupancy with arterial spin labeling to resolve cardiac-cycle volume changes in microvessels.
  • Analyses found that pulsatility rises with age and is most pronounced in deep white matter, a region critical for network communication.
  • Hypertension further amplified the pulses in older adults, a result the authors say helps bridge large-vessel stiffness with small-vessel brain injury.
  • The team is working to translate the method to widely available 3T scanners and will run longitudinal studies to test links to glymphatic dysfunction, beta-amyloid accumulation, and cognitive decline.