2016 年 62 巻 Suppl.1 号 p. 70-74
Recent advances of MR imaging allow us to visualize the functional and structural changes of the brain not only in the patients with neurological disorders, but also in normal subjects. Sophisticated MR techniques, such as resting-state functional MR and diffusion MR imaging, can depict subtle brain changes in normal subjects before metabolic syndrome as well as brain changes after a few weeks muscle training. Minimal structural changes in the brain after repeated minor head trauma during sports are now highlighted, because advanced MR techniques can be used to show substantial changes in the brain before neurological decline.
By diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we can explore microstructure of the tissue in vivo through analysis of water diffusion direction and restriction. DTI was developed mainly in the central nervous system to visualize the white matter tracts and their networks. Plasticity of the brain white matter has been reconfirmed with this technique. Skeletal muscles also have the direction and restriction of water diffusion and can be analyzed by DTI as well.
Recent advances of MR techniques for sportology, especially diffusion MR imaging, will be presented in this paper.
