Cerebral Ultrasound Time-Harmonic Elastography Reveals Softening of the Human Brain Due to Dehydration
Hydration influences blood volume, blood viscosity, and water content in soft tissues – variables that determine the biophysical properties of biological tissues including their stiffness. In the brain, the relationship between hydration and stiffness is largely unknown despite the increasing import...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Physiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.616984/full |
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| author | Bernhard Kreft Judith Bergs Mehrgan Shahryari Leon Alexander Danyel Stefan Hetzer Jürgen Braun Ingolf Sack Heiko Tzschätzsch |
| author_facet | Bernhard Kreft Judith Bergs Mehrgan Shahryari Leon Alexander Danyel Stefan Hetzer Jürgen Braun Ingolf Sack Heiko Tzschätzsch |
| author_sort | Bernhard Kreft |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Hydration influences blood volume, blood viscosity, and water content in soft tissues – variables that determine the biophysical properties of biological tissues including their stiffness. In the brain, the relationship between hydration and stiffness is largely unknown despite the increasing importance of stiffness as a quantitative imaging marker. In this study, we investigated cerebral stiffness (CS) in 12 healthy volunteers using ultrasound time-harmonic elastography (THE) in different hydration states: (i) during normal hydration, (ii) after overnight fasting, and (iii) within 1 h of drinking 12 ml of water per kg body weight. In addition, we correlated shear wave speed (SWS) with urine osmolality and hematocrit. SWS at normal hydration was 1.64 ± 0.02 m/s and decreased to 1.57 ± 0.04 m/s (p < 0.001) after overnight fasting. SWS increased again to 1.63 ± 0.01 m/s within 30 min of water drinking, returning to values measured during normal hydration (p = 0.85). Urine osmolality at normal hydration (324 ± 148 mOsm/kg) increased to 784 ± 107 mOsm/kg (p < 0.001) after fasting and returned to normal (288 ± 128 mOsm/kg, p = 0.83) after water drinking. SWS and urine osmolality correlated linearly (r = −0.68, p < 0.001), while SWS and hematocrit did not correlate (p = 0.31). Our results suggest that mild dehydration in the range of diurnal fluctuations is associated with significant softening of brain tissue, possibly due to reduced cerebral perfusion. To ensure consistency of results, it is important that cerebral elastography with a standardized protocol is performed during normal hydration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T10:12:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7d09e54334c04dd19373e1c16b23adb3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-042X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T10:12:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Physiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-7d09e54334c04dd19373e1c16b23adb32022-12-21T22:35:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Physiology1664-042X2021-01-011110.3389/fphys.2020.616984616984Cerebral Ultrasound Time-Harmonic Elastography Reveals Softening of the Human Brain Due to DehydrationBernhard Kreft0Judith Bergs1Mehrgan Shahryari2Leon Alexander Danyel3Stefan Hetzer4Jürgen Braun5Ingolf Sack6Heiko Tzschätzsch7Institute of Medical Informatics, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Radiology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Radiology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyBernstein Center of Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyInstitute of Medical Informatics, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Radiology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Radiology, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, GermanyHydration influences blood volume, blood viscosity, and water content in soft tissues – variables that determine the biophysical properties of biological tissues including their stiffness. In the brain, the relationship between hydration and stiffness is largely unknown despite the increasing importance of stiffness as a quantitative imaging marker. In this study, we investigated cerebral stiffness (CS) in 12 healthy volunteers using ultrasound time-harmonic elastography (THE) in different hydration states: (i) during normal hydration, (ii) after overnight fasting, and (iii) within 1 h of drinking 12 ml of water per kg body weight. In addition, we correlated shear wave speed (SWS) with urine osmolality and hematocrit. SWS at normal hydration was 1.64 ± 0.02 m/s and decreased to 1.57 ± 0.04 m/s (p < 0.001) after overnight fasting. SWS increased again to 1.63 ± 0.01 m/s within 30 min of water drinking, returning to values measured during normal hydration (p = 0.85). Urine osmolality at normal hydration (324 ± 148 mOsm/kg) increased to 784 ± 107 mOsm/kg (p < 0.001) after fasting and returned to normal (288 ± 128 mOsm/kg, p = 0.83) after water drinking. SWS and urine osmolality correlated linearly (r = −0.68, p < 0.001), while SWS and hematocrit did not correlate (p = 0.31). Our results suggest that mild dehydration in the range of diurnal fluctuations is associated with significant softening of brain tissue, possibly due to reduced cerebral perfusion. To ensure consistency of results, it is important that cerebral elastography with a standardized protocol is performed during normal hydration.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.616984/fullbrainelastographyhydrationultrasoundtime-harmonic elastography |
| spellingShingle | Bernhard Kreft Judith Bergs Mehrgan Shahryari Leon Alexander Danyel Stefan Hetzer Jürgen Braun Ingolf Sack Heiko Tzschätzsch Cerebral Ultrasound Time-Harmonic Elastography Reveals Softening of the Human Brain Due to Dehydration Frontiers in Physiology brain elastography hydration ultrasound time-harmonic elastography |
| title | Cerebral Ultrasound Time-Harmonic Elastography Reveals Softening of the Human Brain Due to Dehydration |
| title_full | Cerebral Ultrasound Time-Harmonic Elastography Reveals Softening of the Human Brain Due to Dehydration |
| title_fullStr | Cerebral Ultrasound Time-Harmonic Elastography Reveals Softening of the Human Brain Due to Dehydration |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cerebral Ultrasound Time-Harmonic Elastography Reveals Softening of the Human Brain Due to Dehydration |
| title_short | Cerebral Ultrasound Time-Harmonic Elastography Reveals Softening of the Human Brain Due to Dehydration |
| title_sort | cerebral ultrasound time harmonic elastography reveals softening of the human brain due to dehydration |
| topic | brain elastography hydration ultrasound time-harmonic elastography |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.616984/full |
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