PILOT: BRAIN DEFORMATION ESTIMATION IN HUMANS USING MRI

In order to better predict and treat impairments resulting from brain trauma, a fundamental understanding of how the brain responds to head motion is required. In this project we will perform the first three-dimensional measurements of the brain during mild head acceleration in living human subjects. The model places a human subject in a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner with an apparatus that supports the head and allows a specific range of motion. The support is latched in such a way that it can be released by the subject, travel a short distance, and come to a rigid stop. The resulting acceleration/deceleration is small (in the range of normal activities, such as jumping from a height of 1-2 feet) but sufficient to derive valuable information. on brain biomechanics. Using highly novel MR acquisition and post-processing techniques, deformation of the human brain can be detected and quantified in vivo.