Abstract #1902

Arterial segmentation and visual stimulus-induced changes in diameter observed in the human brain

Alexandre Bizeau^1,2, Guillaume Gilbert³, Minh Tung Huynh⁴, Michaël Bernier^1,2, Christian Bocti⁵, Maxime Descoteaux^2,6, and Kevin Whittingstall^1,2,4

¹Department of Radiation Sciences and Biomedical imagery, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, ²Centre d’Imagerie Moléculaire de Sherbrooke (CIMS), Centre de Recherche CHUS, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, ³MR Clinical Science, Philips Healthcare, Markham, ON, Canada, ⁴Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, ⁵Department of Medecine, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada, ⁶Department of Computer Science, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

When undergoing stimulation, neurons need to be supplied with oxygen and glucose. This demand then induces vasodilation generated by the astrocytes which act on the muscles of the arteries of the human brain. Using time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography acquisitions, we extracted the apparent diameter of arterial vessels. We then compared diameter with and without visual stimulation and demonstrated that smaller vessels dilate proportionally more than larger ones in the posterior cerebral arteries. Using this method, the investigation of the coupling between neural activity and regional cerebral vasodilation, also called functional hyperhemia, is now possible.

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