Abstract
Prior studies indicate a pathogenic role of neuroinflammation in psychiatric disorders; however, there are no accepted methods that can reliably measure low-level neuroinflammation non-invasively in these individuals. Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) is a versatile, non-invasive neuroimaging technique that demonstrates sensitivity to brain inflammation. MRSI in conjunction with echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) measures brain metabolites to derive whole-brain and regional brain temperatures, which may increase in neuroinflammation. The validity of MRSI/EPSI for measurement of low level neuroinflammation was tested using a safe experimental model of human brain inflammation - intramuscular administration of typhoid vaccine. Twenty healthy volunteers participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study including MRSI/EPSI scans before and 3 h after vaccine/placebo administration. Body temperature and mood, assessed using the Profile of Mood States, were measured every hour up to four hours post-treatment administration. A mixed model analysis of variance was used to test for treatment effects. A significant proportion of brain regions (44/47) increased in temperature post-vaccine compared to post-placebo (p < 0.0001). For temperature change in the brain as a whole, there was no significant treatment effect. Significant associations were seen between mood scores assessed at 4 h and whole brain and regional temperatures post-treatment. Findings indicate that regional brain temperature may be a more sensitive measure of low-level neuroinflammation than whole-brain temperature. Future work where these measurement techniques are applied to populations with psychiatric disorders would be of clinical interest.