Measuring Fluid Flow in the Brain Using Alcohol and MRI in Healthy Participants

Intracranial interstitial fluid (ISF) flow is crucial for adequate clearance of extracellular waste products from the brain parenchyma. Recent demonstrations have shown that a deficiency in flow leads to the accumulation of such waste products in neurodegenerative disorders. Unfortunately, no clinical investigation that gives a quantitative measure of ISF flow exists. Such a test could prove very useful in the clinical setting for multiple neurologic disorders by providing a measure of potential diagnostic importance, as well as yielding a means to monitor response to treatment. The investigators hypothesize that such an investigation can be developed using magnetic resonance spectroscopy to give a quantitative measure of ISF flow, using spectroscopy of ethanol as a dynamic marker of interstitial fluid. Beneficially, the approach is non-invasive. This pilot project aims to develop this technique with proof of concept in healthy volunteers (males in the age range of 20-75). This pilot project aims to develop the technique, demonstrating its ability to detect ISF flow and potential differences in rates among healthy volunteers. Success at this stage will give rise to this technique being extended to studies involving individuals with various forms of intracranial pathology for comparison with values seen in healthy individuals, with the ultimate goal of it providing a measure of diagnostic significance in multiple clinical scenarios.