Abstract #0754

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of BBB Functional Changes in Healthy Aging: Imaging Evidence Based on Vascular Water Exchange Imaging (VEXI)

Shuyuan Tan¹, Li Chai², Zejun Wang¹, Fan Jiang¹, Dingsheng Shi¹, Yi-Cheng Hsu³, Xianchang Zhang⁴, Yaou Liu*², and Ruiliang Bai*⁵

¹College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, ²Department of Radiology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China, ³MR Research Collaboration, Siemens Healthcare, Shanghai, China, Shanghai, China, ⁴MR Research Collaboration, Siemens Healthcare, Beijing, China, Beijing, China, ⁵Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

Synopsis

Keywords: Aging, Aging, BBB, VEXI

Motivation: The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is essential for brain homeostasis and function, but its spatiotemporal patterns in aging is largely unknown.

Goal(s): To explore the spatiotemporal changes of BBB permeability in healthy aging.

Approach: We used the Vascular Water Exchange Imaging (VEXI) to measure the water exchange rate (AXR) across the BBB (AXR_BBB) in 103 subjects from 18yr to 76yr, quantifying BBB permeability without contrast agents.

Results: AXR_BBB value of whole-brain gray matter and white matter increases with age, respectively. However, different brain regions exhibiting distinct AXR_BBBpatterns in aging, including the critical age turning point and hemispherical asymmetry.

Impact: Our neuroimaging study reveals the BBB permeability's spatiotemporal patterns in healthy human aging, which is important for understanding the aging processes and provides with potential diagnosis biomarker for many brain diseases.

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