Perfusion alters stiffness of deep gray matter.

Viscoelastic properties of the brain reflect tissue architecture at multiple length scales. However, little is known about the relation between vital tissue functions, such as perfusion, and the macroscopic mechanical properties of cerebral tissue. In this study, arterial spin labelling is paired with magnetic resonance elastography to investigate the relationship between tissue stiffness and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the in vivo human brain.