Use case 1: Molecular tracer diffusion in a human brain

Introduction

In many medical studies, tracers are used to understand how solutes move through the human brain [RGB+85], [ZRKW92], [NGB+13]. They are preferred as one can use medical imaging techniques, such as PET and MRI, while CT uses X-ray images to construct a 3D model of an organ.

References

[NGB+13]

Ruiqing Ni, Per-Göran Gillberg, Assar Bergfors, Amelia Marutle, and Agneta Nordberg. Amyloid tracers detect multiple binding sites in Alzheimer's disease brain tissue. Brain, 136(7):2217–2227, 06 2013. doi:10.1093/brain/awt142.

[RGB+85]

Marshall L. Rennels, Thomas F. Gregory, Otis R. Blaumanis, Katsukuni Fujimoto, and Patricia A. Grady. Evidence for a "paravascular" fluid circulation in the mammalian central nervous system, provided by the rapid distribution of tracer protein throughout the brain from the subarachnoid space. Brain Research, 326(1):47–63, 1985. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(85)91383-6.

[ZRKW92]

E. T. Zhang, H. K. Richards, S. Kida, and R. O. Weller. Directional and compartmentalised drainage of interstitial fluid and cerebrospinal fluid from the rat brain. Acta Neuropathologica, 83(3):233–239, Feb 1992. doi:10.1007/BF00296784.