# Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Properties of Cerebrospinal Fluid and Brain Health Outcomes in Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $46,752

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are more likely to develop neurodevelopmental deficits than the
general population. Due to advances in interventional surgical techniques, survival rates for patients with CHD
are high, but they face adverse neurodevelopmental challenges – such as cognitive deficits – and attain lower
education and social interaction, leading to reduced quality of life. Despite a multitude of studies examining risk
factors for adverse neurodevelopment outcomes in children with CHD, only a small proportion of observed
variations in cognitive tests can be attributed to these tested exposures. A larger portion of risk factors that may
play critical roles in adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with CHD remains to be discovered. One
such risk factor is likely to be alterations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) characteristics manifested as alterations in
volume and flow dynamics. Recent studies show that normal CSF circulation is necessary for healthy neuronal
growth and maintenance of a homeostatic environment for normal neuronal function. Abnormalities in the CSF
have been linked to neurological diseases such as autism spectrum disorder in children and dementia in adults.
In CHD, abnormal CSF findings, especially increased CSF volume, are frequently observed. Increased CSF
volume has been shown to be correlated with brain dysmaturation and poor neurodevelopmental outcomes in
young children with CHD. Although in the elderly, there are studies that link decreased CSF flow velocities with
cognitive impairment. Currently, CSF flow alterations in children with CHD have yet to be examined in vivo, and
the possible link between CSF flow and increased volume to cognitive outcomes remains to be explored. This
project aims to examine the relationship between disruption in CSF characteristics and neurodevelopmental
deficits in children with CHD. We hypothesize that aberrant CSF characteristics (increased volumes and
decreased flow velocity) measured using MRI will be powerful multi-modal imaging predictors for
neurodevelopmental outcomes in children with CHD. This project leverages a Department of Defense-funded
ongoing study at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh involving children with CHD and age-matched healthy
controls who receive MRI imaging as well as neuropsychologic testing – including executive function. In this
project, we propose measuring intracranial CSF volume (extra-axial and intra-ventricular volume) using structural
MRI (T1 and T2 images) and measuring CSF flow velocity through the Aqueduct Silvius using phase-contrast
MRI. These CSF measurements will then be correlated with neuropsychological tests assessing executive
function. The results from this proposed project will help determine (1) differences in CSF characteristics
between children with CHD and healthy controls and (2) any correlation between CSF characteristics and
neurodevelopmental outcomes in CHD. Taken together, we ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10535593
- **Project number:** 1F31HL165730-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Vincent Kyu Lee
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $46,752
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10535593

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10535593, Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Properties of Cerebrospinal Fluid and Brain Health Outcomes in Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease (1F31HL165730-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10535593. Licensed CC0.

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