JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments
Neuroscience
0 views • 3:54 min • May 29th, 2025
Magnetic Resonance Elastography, or MRE, measures the viscoelastic properties of tissues, such as stiffness and elasticity, by analyzing shear wave propagation.
To perform MRE, start with a gelatin phantom designed to mimic tissue and secured in the magnetic resonance imaging or MRI head coil.
The phantom is connected to an electromagnetic actuator through a vibration plate.
Attach the actuator to a function generator to generate the shear waves that are transmitted through the vibration plate and into the phantom.
Simultaneously, initiate the MRI scans.
As the shear waves propagate, the MRI captures their motion as phase images.
Process these images using algorithms to isolate the shear wave propagation patterns, where different colors represent various wave phases.
An expanded wave pattern indicative of slower wave propagation through the gelatin phantom, suggests its soft tissue-like properties.
Whereas, a dense wave pattern indicates faster wave propagation, suggesting stiff tissue-like properties.
Place the gelatin phantom into the head coil. Then, put the vibration plate on top of the gelatin phantom. Ensure that the contact between the phantom and the vibration plate is firm. Put sp
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