Measurement of relative motion of the brain and skull in the mini-pig in-vivo

Abstract

The mechanical role of the skull-brain interface is critical to the pathology of concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and may evolve with age. Here we characterize the skull-brain interface in juvenile, female Yucatan mini-pigs from 3 to 6 months old using techniques from magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). The displacements of the skull and brain were measured by a motion-sensitive MR imaging sequence during low-amplitude harmonic motion of the head. Each animal was scanned four times at 1-month intervals. Harmonic motion at 100 Hz was excited by three different configurations of a jaw actuator in order to vary the direction of loading. Rigid-body linear motions of the brain and skull were similar, although brain rotations were consistently smaller than corresponding skull rotations. Relative displacements between the brain and skull were estimated for voxels on the surface of the brain. Amplitudes of relative displacements between skull and brain were 1–3 μm, approximately 25–50% of corresponding skull displacements. Maps of relative displacement showed variations by anatomical region, and the normal component of relative displacement was consistently 25–50% of the tangential component. These results illuminate the mechanics of the skull-brain interface in a gyrencephalic animal model relevant to human brain injury and development.