ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Imaging Methods
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1644236
Assessing the Impact of Posture on Brain Volume in Healthy Subjects with a rotatable Cryogen-Free 1.5T Superconducting MRI
Provisionally accepted
Shiying Ke1,2
Yulin Wang1Jichang Zhang1,3Jie Zeng1Shengyang Niu1Jianjun Zheng4Thomas Meersmann1,5,6
Chengbo Wang1*- 1University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China
- 2Quanzhou Medical College, Quanzhou, China
- 3Xingaoyi Medical Equipment Company, Ltd., Ningbo, China, ningbo, China
- 4Ningbo No 2 Hospital, Ningbo, China
- 5University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- 6Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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Background: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is crucial for detailed visualization of brain structure and function. However, conventional supine imaging limits the exploration of how posture impacts brain morphology. While recent advancements in upright MRI systems have enabled studies of postural effects on various body systems, investigations into posture’s impact on brain anatomy remains limited.Method: This study investigated volumetric differences between upright and supine positions to establish a baseline for future investigations into how posture influences brain structure. Thirty-one healthy volunteers underwent scans using a rotatable cryogen-free 1.5T MRI scanner in supine and upright postures. The 3D T1-MP-RAGE brain images were segmented into 109 regions, and volume changes across these regions were analyzed.Result: Volumetric analysis across 109 brain regions in both supine and upright postures showed minimal changes, with most regions displaying variations within a ±5% range. The coefficient of variation (COV) indicated that posture-induced volume changes are even smaller than the measurement precision of the method. These findings provide a solid groundwork for future studies on the effects of posture on brain structure.Conclusion: The majority of brain regions exhibited no significant volumetric differences between supine and upright positions, suggesting that brain structure remains consistent and stable across different postures. These findings offer valuable insights for future research on the postural influences on brain morphology.
Keywords: MRI, brain structures, Volumetric Differences, postural effects, MP-RAGE
Received: 10 Jun 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ke, Wang, Zhang, Zeng, Niu, Zheng, Meersmann and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chengbo Wang, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, China
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