# Structural dynamics of the human brain in vivo from tagged MRI and MR elastography.

> **NIH NIH F31** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $46,254

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is widespread and potentially debilitating, and multiple mild head impacts can
potentially cause chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Despite its importance, the underlying mechanics of
the brain’s response to skull acceleration are not fully understood. This project is designed to identify and
characterize natural modes of oscillation in the living human brain, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of
the brain during mild head accelerations (either very light impacts or low-amplitude vibration). Modes of
oscillation are types of motion to which the brain is particularly vulnerable; such modes can be activated by skull
motion in specific directions with particular frequency components. In preliminary studies I have identified
seemingly consistent modes of oscillation in brains of 19 human subjects, by analyzing displacement and strain
data sets from tagged MRI with a method known as dynamic mode decomposition. In this project, I hypothesize
that the dominant natural modes of oscillation in particular, and the dynamic response of the brain to skull
excitation in general, will be similar across all subjects, but the parameters of the response will differ quantitatively
in subjects of different age and gender (due to differences in size, shape, and stiffness). In Aim 1, I will identify
and characterize modes of oscillation in the human brain, again using dynamic mode decomposition of tagged
MRI data, in groups of subjects of different ages and genders. Specifically I will quantify the damped natural
frequencies, damping ratios, modal coefficients, and spatial patterns (mode shapes) that characterize each
mode. These quantities will be obtained for male and female subjects in three age groups, during two different
types of head motion: (i) anterior-posterior motion (neck extension, or “yes” nodding) and (ii) axial rotation (neck
rotation, or “no” nodding). In Aim 2 I will determine the frequency response of the human brain to harmonic skull
motion using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), again in subjects of different ages and genders. This will
be done to determine whether the harmonic brain deformations observed in MRE reflect anatomical or
physiological differences due to age or sex. MRE studies will be performed over a range of frequencies, with
either occipital excitation (anterior-posterior motion) or lateral excitation (right-left motion). A key feature of the
brain’s response is the amplitude of brain deformation (shear strain amplitude) relative to the amplitude of skull
acceleration. This ratio is expected to vary with the direction and frequency of skull motion, as well as with age
and sex. Successful completion of these Aims will provide quantitative understanding of how skull motion leads
to brain deformation in specific regions of the brain, under different impact scenarios, and allow quantitative
assessment of computer models of TBI. This understanding will ultimately be cr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10382911
- **Project number:** 1F31NS122287-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jordan De Niro Escarcega
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $46,254
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-01-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10382911

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10382911, Structural dynamics of the human brain in vivo from tagged MRI and MR elastography. (1F31NS122287-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10382911. Licensed CC0.

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