Assessment of CSF pulsatility in the fourth ventricle using EPI phase contrast and fMRI sequences.

Papers have shown a correlation between CSF flow in the fourth ventricle (V4) and EEG, and also that the low-frequency components (LFC) of EEG were positively correlated with glymphatic system (GS) activity. Analysis of the LFC of CSF flow could be a biomarker of GS degradation. We assessed 6 individuals by using an EPI phase contrast sequence to quantify the time evolution of CSF velocity in V4, and a fMRI sequence with which we exploited the inflow effect phenomenon. EPI-PC highlights the frequencies of physiological phenomena involved in CSF motion, and allows us to quantify LFC, indicative of GS efficiency.