High resolution measurement of human brain temperature using ultra-high magnetic field MRS

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K12888
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biomedical engineering/Biomaterial science and engineering
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Azuma Takashi 京都大学, 工学研究科, 特定研究員 (40378899)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 中井 隆介 京都大学, こころの未来研究センター, 特定講師 (10576234) ; 劉 国相 国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構, 脳情報通信融合研究センター脳機能解析研究室, 研究マネージャー (40358817)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: MRS / Temperature / Brain

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aimed to construct a brain temperature measurement method focused on the change of chemical shift of proton depending on temperature in MRS method using MRI which is a low invasive examination device. In order to construct measurement and analysis methods with high temperature resolution and high spatial resolution for human brain and living tissue, measurement of phantom and human was performed and analysis of measurement data was performed. The MRI apparatus performed measurement experiment using 3T-MRI and 7T-MRI of Whole body. In human measurement, it turned out that the biological noise also becomes high and the countermeasure is indispensable. We have investigated the measurement of temperature in the brain with high accuracy by measuring the local proton chemical shift difference of the brain by taking measures against biological noise.

Free Research Field

医用生体工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

現在、BOLD-fMRI 法を用いた脳機能研究がなされている。脳の温度計測法が確立され、脳機能の研究と脳内温度との間に因果関係が発見されれば、脳機能と脳のエネルギー代謝などの関係が分かり、脳機能計測だけでは判別できない脳の働きの解明に寄与できるものと考えられ、脳科学の発展に貢献できると期待される。