Watch the brain wobble with each heartbeat!
A video showing how the brain wobbles each time blood and other fluids pass through the organ recently surfaced the internet. The incredible phenomenon was captured using a brain scanning technique called 3D aMRI. The 3D image of the human brain shows how fluid flows through and around it.
Two recent studies used a brain-scanning technique to capture real time 3D videos of the brain. The video shows brain tissues pulsating in response to blood rushing through the blood vessels and cerebrospinal fluid. The purpose of the video is to amplify and exaggerate movements in the brain for easy analysis. The motion is very small and at most between 0.002 inches and 0.015 inches. However, the imaging amplifies it 25 times, making it easier for researchers to assess the motion with better detail, direction and amplitude.
One such condition is hydrocephalus, in which there is an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid within the brain. This causes an increase in pressure inside the skull, according to Samantha Holdsworth, co-author on both studies. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to really prove its clinical application … but that’s the nature of all new technology,” she said. “We’re just sort of at the beginnings of what can be achieved.”
