TITLE:
Assessment of Human Skeletal Muscle Contraction and Force by Diffusion Tensor Imaging
AUTHORS:
Junichi Hata, Haruyuki Nagata, Kazuki Endo, Yuji Komaki, Masakazu Sato, Tomokazu Numano, Kazuo Yagi
KEYWORDS:
Diffusion, Tensor, Skeletal Muscle, Contraction, Muscle Force
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Radiology,
Vol.5 No.4,
December
4,
2015
ABSTRACT: We aimed to investigate the association between mobility and skeletal muscle strength by using magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This study included 20 healthy male volunteers (mean age, 21.8 ± 1.1 years). The maximum voluntary strength (MVC) of each participant was measured with the ankle joint in plantar and dorsal flexion using an instrument for measuring muscle strength. Moreover, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed with the ankle joint at rest, in plantar flexion, and in dorsal flexion. For imaging, a 1.5-T MRI device was used, and a diffusion-weighted stimulated echo-planar imaging pulse sequence. Tensor eigenvalues (λ), fractional anisotropy (FA), and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were calculated from data obtained by DTI. The resulting MRI data were compared to the data on muscle mobility or strength and statistically analyzed. Regarding changes in DTI indices during muscle movements, anisotropy of the tibialis anterior was significantly increased from rest to plantar flexion (P