On the relationship between gene expression and brain tissue stiffness measured with magnetic resonance elastography
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Date
2025-07-23
Authors
Χρυσοβιτσάνος, Νικόλαος
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Abstract
Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) is a developing technology that is based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to quantitatively measure mechanical properties of tissue. It generates detailed stiffness maps that can find use in multiple applications in research and clinical practice. The focus of this project was MRE of the brain and the goal was to explore the relationship of stiffness data and gene expression data. In short, gene expression is the production of proteins from the information encoded in the DNA. This thesis project combined these two types of data and presents a proof of concept on how these methods can be used together and what results we can obtain to reach meaningful conclusions. We worked on two different MRE datasets, one obtained from the Charite University Hospital and one from NTNU and St. Olav’s Hospital in Trondheim. The gene expression dataset was comprised of gene expression maps of myelin proteins that were generated from microarray data of the Allen Human Brain Atlas. The correlation study between MRE and gene expression data was performed with spearman rank correlation and clustering analysis. Through this process, a weak but important correlation was measured between stiffness and myelin proteins gene expression. Most importantly, a key anatomical brain structure was located and identified through the analysis, a result that promises interesting findings in extending and developing this work in the future.
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Keywords
Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), Gene expression, Allen human brain atlas