# Quantitative and Spectroscopic Imaging of Skeletal Muscle Changes in Sarcopenia at High Field

> **NIH NIH K99** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2021 · $114,480

## Abstract

Project Summary
Sarcopenia, a condition characterized by loss of muscle mass and function in the elderly, is of increasing
relevance in the United States due to its aging population. It is generally agreed that the weakening of the muscle
in sarcopenia cannot be explained by loss of muscle mass alone, but the mechanisms behind this remain poorly
understood. This is partly due to the lack of non-invasive techniques for observing muscle structure and
composition in high detail. We propose to develop MRI techniques to measure muscle morphology,
microstructure, and fat content to get a detailed view of the changes in muscle quantity and quality in patients
with sarcopenia and how they relate to more easily attainable measurements of muscle function such as grip
strength and gait speed. This would provide an important contribution to the ongoing debate about how such
measurements could be used to define sarcopenia, which would pave the way for treatment development.
We aim to develop novel methods to investigate the structure and composition of muscle using ultra-high-field
MRI. Specifically, we aim to (1) obtain water-based images of skeletal muscle macro- and microstructure with
unparalleled efficiency, image quality, and resolution; (2) obtain images of the spatial distribution of
intramyocellular lipids in skeletal muscle, measuring both methyl and methylene to estimate saturation; and (3)
to conduct a study comparing skeletal muscle structure and quality by looking at MR measurements of T2
relaxation rates, diffusivity (as proxies for inflammation and fiber size, respectively), fat fraction, and lipid
composition, in subjects with sarcopenia and healthy controls and see how these quantities correlate to muscle
function.
This project has several innovative aspects. First, we will develop a method to estimate muscle morphology, T2
relaxation rates, and diffusivity with a single MRI sequence. Importantly, this will make the developed method
easy to run at other MRI sites. Second, we will devise methods to perform robust, efficient imaging of
intramyocellular lipid droplet distribution and saturation in human skeletal muscle in vivo at high field. Both of
these methods will have unparalleled signal-to-noise ratio and robustness against image artifacts. The
significance of this work is the investigation of the role of inflammation, fiber size, and lipid distribution in the
weakening of muscle in sarcopenia and how these measurements are related to muscle function. The resulting
conclusions and techniques may help establish a common standard for the definition of sarcopenia and aid in
the development of future treatments for this condition.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10125507
- **Project number:** 1K99AG066815-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Bragi Sveinsson
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $114,480
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-03-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10125507

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10125507, Quantitative and Spectroscopic Imaging of Skeletal Muscle Changes in Sarcopenia at High Field (1K99AG066815-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10125507. Licensed CC0.

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