Intracellular water preexchange lifetime in neurons and astrocytes

• Published in: Magnetic resonance in medicine Vol. 79; no. 3; pp. 1616 - 1627
• Main Authors: Yang, Donghan M., Huettner, James E., Bretthorst, G. Larry, Neil, Jeffrey J., Garbow, Joel R., Ackerman, Joseph J.H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-03-2018
• Subjects: Astrocytes; Brain; Cell culture; cerebral cortex; cultured cells; Datasets; Deprivation; Glucose; Intracellular; Magnetic resonance; Neurons; Oxygen; Rapid flow; rat; relaxation; cultured cells; cerebral cortex; magnetic resonance; rat; relaxation
• ISSN: 0740-3194; 1522-2594
• DOI: 10.1002/mrm.26781

Purpose
To determine the intracellular water preexchange lifetime, τi, the “average residence time” of water, in the intracellular milieu of neurons and astrocytes. The preexchange lifetime is important for modeling a variety of MR data sets, including relaxation, diffusion‐sensitive, and dynamic contrast–enhanced data sets.
Methods
Herein, τi in neurons and astrocytes is determined in a microbead‐adherent, cultured cell system. In concert with thin‐slice selection, rapid flow of extracellular media suppresses extracellular signal, allowing determination of the transcytolemmal‐exchange‐dominated, intracellular T1. With this knowledge, and that of the intracellular T1 in the absence of exchange, τi can be derived.
Results
Under normal culture conditions, τi for neurons is 0.75 ± 0.05 s versus 0.57 ± 0.03 s for astrocytes. Both neuronal and astrocytic τis decrease within 30 min after the onset of oxygen‐glucose deprivation, with the astrocytic τi showing a substantially greater decrease than the neuronal τi.
Conclusions
Given an approximate intra‐ to extracellular volume ratio of 4:1 in the brain, these data imply that, under normal physiological conditions, an MR experimental characteristic time of less than 0.012 s is required for a nonexchanging, two‐compartment (intra‐ and extracellular) model to be valid for MR studies. This characteristic time shortens significantly (i.e., 0.004 s) under injury conditions. Magn Reson Med 79:1616–1627, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.