Advances in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technology Applied to Human Brain Glymphatic System

Abstract

The glial lymphatic system is a recently discovered anatomical structure in the field of neuroscience, with functions such as regulation of interstitial fluid movement, waste removal and potentially brain immunity, playing an important role in physiology and pathology of the central nervous system. With the development of imaging technology, more and more magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques have been applied to the study of the glial lymphatic system of the human brain. Currently, the commonly used imaging techniques include dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, diffusion tensor image analysis along the perivascular space, and novel multimodal ultra-fast magnetic resonance techniques, etc. This article summarizes and reviews the application of these techniques in the brain glymphatic system, in order to provide a reference for the imaging study of the glymphatic system.

Keywords

• glymphatic system|central nervous system|lymphatic system|magnetic resonance imaging|dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging|diffusion tensor imaging-analysis technique along the perivascular space|ultra-fast magnetic resonance imaging