Surface-based characteristics of the cerebellar cortex visualized with ultra-high field MRI

Yohan Boillat; Pierre-Louis Bazin; Kieran O'Brien; Mário João Fartaria; Guillaume Bonnier; Gunnar Krueger; Wietske van der Zwaag; Cristina Granziera

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.01.016

Surface-based characteristics of the cerebellar cortex visualized with ultra-high field MRI

Neuroimage. 2018 May 15:172:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.01.016. Epub 2018 Jan 13.

Authors

Yohan Boillat¹, Pierre-Louis Bazin², Kieran O'Brien³, Mário João Fartaria⁴, Guillaume Bonnier⁵, Gunnar Krueger⁶, Wietske van der Zwaag⁷, Cristina Granziera⁸

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory for Functional and Metabolic Imaging, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Neurophysics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
³ Siemens Healthcare Pty Ltd., Bowen Hills, Australia; Centre for Advanced Imaging, University of Queensland, Australia.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland; Advanced Clinical Imaging Technology (ACIT, HC CEMEA SUI DI BM PI), Siemens Healthcare AG, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁵ A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
⁶ Siemens Medical Solutions USA IM MR COL NEZ, Burlington, MA, USA.
⁷ Biomedical Imaging Research Center, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam, Switzerland.
⁸ A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA; Neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, CHUV and University of Lausanne, Netherlands.

PMID: 29339314
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.01.016

Abstract

Although having a relatively homogeneous cytoarchitectonic organization, the cerebellar cortex is a heterogeneous region characterized by different amounts of myelin, iron and protein expression profiles. In this study, we used quantitative T₁ and T₂* mapping at ultra-high field (7T) MRI to investigate the tissue characteristics of the cerebellar gray matter surface and its layers. Detailed subject-specific surfaces were generated at three different cortical depths and averaged across subjects to create averaged T₁- and T₂*-maps on the cerebellar surface. T₁ surfaces showed an alternation of lower and higher T₁ values when going from the median to the lateral part of the cerebellar hemispheres. In addition, longer T₁ values were observed in the more superficial gray matter layers. T₂*-maps showed a similar longitudinal pattern, but no change related to the cortical depths. These patterns are possibly due to variations in the level of myelination, iron and zebrin protein expression.

Keywords: Cerebellum; Surface; T(1); T(2)*; Tissue content; Ultra-high field.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Brain Mapping / methods*
Cerebellum / anatomy & histology*
Cerebellum / diagnostic imaging
Female
Gray Matter / anatomy & histology
Gray Matter / diagnostic imaging
Humans
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods*
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
Male
Young Adult

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding