Mietzner Grazia, Lümkemann Lilli, Schreiber Frank, Brüggemann Jascha, Benramadan Abrar, Al-Dubai Marwa, Sciarra Alessandro, Knoll Christoph, Kuehn Esther, Speck Oliver, Schreiber Stefanie, Mattern Hendrik
Department of Neurology, Otto Von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.
German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2025 Aug 1;46(11):e70311. doi: 10.1002/hbm.70311.
Leveraging high-resolution 7 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and vessel distance mapping (VDM), the arterial supply patterns and dominances of the motor cortex, which could previously only be studied postmortem, were assessed in vivo and fully noninvasively. Beyond vessel patterns and dominances, the potential relation between the vascularization and the motor cortex thickness was studied. Twenty-one healthy participants underwent 7 T MRI scans to map arterial supply and motor cortex at 0.45 mm isotropic resolution. The motor cortex vasculature was segmented manually with vessel-specific labels. VDM was utilized to estimate the vessel-specific supply regions and, subsequently, assess vessel patterns and dominances. Statistical tests were applied to test if the vasculature impacts mean motor cortical thickness estimates. Vessel patterns, that is the presence of supplying vessels, were classified as three-, four-, and five-vessel patterns with a prevalence of 26.3%, 50.0%, and 23.7%, respectively. Vessel dominance, that is the ratio of supply volumes, of the ACA branches showed dominance of the pericallosal artery, callosomarginal artery, and equal contribution, in 34.2%, 34.2%, and 31.6% of the cases, respectively. For the MCA groups, the prevalence of precentral group dominance, central group dominances, and equal contribution was 13.2%, 34.2%, and 52.6%, respectively. Although the central and precentral groups were found in all hemispheres, the postcentral group was found in 28.9% of hemispheres with highly variable supply contribution. Statistical tests returned no significance for the effect of vessel patterns and dominances on the mean motor cortex thickness. With 7 T MRI and VDM, the motor cortex vascularization can be assessed fully noninvasively and longitudinally while providing overall good concordance with previous post mortem studies. Our comprehensive analysis of arterial motor cortex vascularization showed considerable variability between hemispheres, rendering the usage of pattern-specific atlases and analysis more suitable than single normative representations. The successful translation from post mortem to in vivo enables the study of vascular reserve in disorders affecting the motor cortex, such as ALS, and can be translated to other brain regions and neurodegenerative diseases in the future.
利用高分辨率7T磁共振成像（MRI）和血管距离映射（VDM），对运动皮层的动脉供应模式和优势情况进行了体内全无创评估，而这些情况以前只能在死后进行研究。除了血管模式和优势情况外，还研究了血管化与运动皮层厚度之间的潜在关系。21名健康参与者接受了7T MRI扫描，以0.45毫米各向同性分辨率绘制动脉供应和运动皮层图。运动皮层血管系统通过特定血管标签进行手动分割。利用VDM估计特定血管的供应区域，随后评估血管模式和优势情况。应用统计测试来检验血管系统是否会影响平均运动皮层厚度估计值。血管模式，即供应血管的存在情况，分为三血管模式、四血管模式和五血管模式，其发生率分别为26.3%、50.0%和23.7%。在34.2%、34.2%和31.6%的病例中，ACA分支的血管优势，即供应量的比例，分别显示胼周动脉、胼缘动脉占优势以及贡献相等。对于MCA组，中央前组占优势、中央组占优势以及贡献相等的发生率分别为13.2%、34.2%和52.6%。尽管在所有半球都发现了中央组和中央前组，但在28.9%的半球中发现了中央后组，其供应贡献差异很大。统计测试结果表明，血管模式和优势对平均运动皮层厚度没有显著影响。通过7T MRI和VDM，可以全无创且纵向地评估运动皮层血管化情况，同时与先前的死后研究总体上具有良好的一致性。我们对动脉运动皮层血管化的综合分析表明，半球之间存在相当大的变异性，这使得使用特定模式图谱和分析比单一规范表示更合适。从死后研究到体内研究的成功转化，使得能够研究影响运动皮层的疾病（如肌萎缩侧索硬化症）中的血管储备情况，并且未来可推广到其他脑区和神经退行性疾病。
