Daniel C. Colvin1, Jerome Jourquin2,
Junzhong Xu1, Mark D. Does1,
1Vanderbilt University Institute of
Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; 2Cancer
Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
Diffusion-weighted
MRI methods are commonly used to characterize changes in tissue structure
that accompany such pathologies as stroke and cancer. However, the underlying biophysical
mechanisms influencing the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) remain poorly
understood. Temporal diffusion spectroscopy
techniques, which probe diffusion times two orders of magnitude shorter than
conventional pulsed gradient methods, were implemented in a study of packed
human embryonic kidney cells treated with drugs that alter actin
polymerization, microtubule formation, and Golgi structure. Results reveal that these techniques may
provide a more sensitive probe of changes in intracellular structure compared
to conventional methods.