Min-Sig Hwang1,2, Katja E. Odening3,
Bum-Rak Choi3, Gideon Koren3, Stephen J. Blackband1,2,
John R. Forder1,4
1McKnight Brain Institute,
Gainesville, FL, United States; 2Neuroscience, University of
Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States; 3Cardiovascular Research
Center, the Rhode Island Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University,
Providence, RI, United States; 4Radiology, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL, United States
The cardiac conduction system is subject to alterations with aging. The aim of this study was to investigate non-invasively the morphological changes in aged heart. Structural changes in the myocardium were examined using MR microscopy (MRM) and high angular resolution diffusion microscopy (HARDM). Purkinje fiber networks in the LV cavity of young and old rabbit hearts were compared. Our results demonstrate combined analysis of the two MR modalities (MRM & HARDM) may be a powerful tool to understand and monitor alterations in the cardiac conduction network that occur as a function of age.