Multiscale modeling of human cerebrovasculature: A hybrid approach using image-based geometry and a mathematical algorithm

PLoS Comput Biol. 2020 Jun 22;16(6):e1007943. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007943. eCollection 2020 Jun.

Abstract

The cerebral vasculature has a complex and hierarchical network, ranging from vessels of a few millimeters to superficial cortical vessels with diameters of a few hundred micrometers, and to the microvasculature (arteriole/venule) and capillary beds in the cortex. In standard imaging techniques, it is difficult to segment all vessels in the network, especially in the case of the human brain. This study proposes a hybrid modeling approach that determines these networks by explicitly segmenting the large vessels from medical images and employing a novel vascular generation algorithm. The framework enables vasculatures to be generated at coarse and fine scales for individual arteries and veins with vascular subregions, following the personalized anatomy of the brain and macroscale vasculatures. In this study, the vascular structures of superficial cortical (pial) vessels before they penetrate the cortex are modeled as a mesoscale vasculature. The validity of the present approach is demonstrated through comparisons with partially observed data from existing measurements of the vessel distributions on the brain surface, pathway fractal features, and vascular territories of the major cerebral arteries. Additionally, this validation provides some biological insights: (i) vascular pathways may form to ensure a reasonable supply of blood to the local surface area; (ii) fractal features of vascular pathways are not sensitive to overall and local brain geometries; and (iii) whole pathways connecting the upstream and downstream entire-scale cerebral circulation are highly dependent on the local curvature of the cerebral sulci.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Cerebral Cortex / blood supply
  • Cerebrovascular Circulation*
  • Humans
  • Microcirculation
  • Models, Biological*

Grants and funding

S. Ii, S. Ishada, YI, and SW were supported by MEXT as “Priority Issue on Post-K computer (Supercomputer Fugaku)” (Integrated Computational Life Science to Support Personalized and Preventive Medicine) (Project IDs: hp150274, hp160218, hp170265, hp180202, hp190187), and S. Ii, S. Ishada, and SW were supported by JSPS KAKENHI grant number JP19H01175. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.