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The Blood-Brain and Other Neural Barriers pp 229–245Cite as

Measuring the Integrity of the Human Blood–Brain Barrier Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 686))

Abstract

The evaluation of blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may prove valuable in the setting of certain brain pathologies, such as brain tumors and acute ischemic stroke. Various MRI protocols have been developed to explore the integrity of the BBB by monitoring the leakage of intravenously administered contrast medium into the brain parenchyma. In its simplest form, BBB integrity is assessed qualitatively, by determining the presence or absence of contrast-enhancement on a structural MR image. When a dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI protocol is combined with a suitable pharmacokinetic model, DCE-MRI can map the spatial distribution of BBB integrity throughout the brain and assist with evaluating the effects of therapy. Several model-free surrogate measures of BBB permeability have been recently proposed, all of which can be readily computed from standard dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI perfusion scans. Contrast-enhanced MRI offers multiple strategies for evaluating BBB integrity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Andrea Kassner & Rebecca Thornhill

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  1. Andrea Kassner
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  2. Rebecca Thornhill
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Correspondence to Andrea Kassner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Banting Institute, Dept. Laboratory Med. & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, College St. 100, Toronto, M5G 1L5, Ontario, Canada

    Sukriti Nag

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Kassner, A., Thornhill, R. (2011). Measuring the Integrity of the Human Blood–Brain Barrier Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging. In: Nag, S. (eds) The Blood-Brain and Other Neural Barriers. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 686. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-938-3_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60761-938-3_10

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-60761-937-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-60761-938-3

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