# Advanced Brain OCT Elastography

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER · 2020 · $421,880

## Abstract

Changes in the local and global mechanical properties of brain tissue associated with aging and
neurodegenerative diseases has not been extensively studied and quantified. Pathology and autopsy case
studies have provided some qualitative insight, and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) studies have
demonstrated some general patterns. However, current techniques require technical refinement and much
remains to be elucidated about the relationship between the evolution of brain biomechanics and these complex
processes. There are several approaches that employ optical coherence tomography (OCT), a high-resolution
imaging modality, to obtain the mechanical properties of biological tissues. These techniques are generally
referred to as optical coherence elastography (OCE), and have demonstrated promising applications with studies
in cornea, breast, muscle, heart, and skin. In this project, brain OCE will be performed in mice ex vivo/in situ and
in vivo to study the aging process and Alzheimer’s disease. Mechanical waves are introduced into the tissue via
transducers, and an OCT imaging system captures volumetric data with lateral and axial resolutions of a few
microns. Variations in the softness and stiffness of cortical brain tissue with respect to time will be quantified.
Specifically, the use of reverberant shear wave fields for elastography, which takes advantage of inevitable
reflections from boundaries and tissue inhomogeneities, allow for estimation of the shear wave speed, which is
directly related to the elastic modulus of soft tissues, along with other key properties of the brain including
viscosity, dispersion, and anisotropy. The goal of this project is to quantify how shear wave speeds (related to
stiffness of tissues) change with aging or the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease using mice models,
informing basic science, creating useful biomarkers, and guiding clinical measurements in humans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10105588
- **Project number:** 1R21AG070331-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** KEVIN J PARKER
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $421,880
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-15 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10105588

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10105588, Advanced Brain OCT Elastography (1R21AG070331-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10105588. Licensed CC0.

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