Active conductive head cooling of normal and infarcted brain: A magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging study

Active conductive head cooling is a simple and non-invasive intervention that may slow infarct growth in ischemic stroke. We investigated the effect of active conductive head cooling on brain temperature using whole brain echo-planar spectroscopic imaging. A cooling cap (WElkins Temperature Regulation System, 2nd Gen) was used to administer cooling for 80 minutes to healthy volunteers and chronic stroke patients. Whole brain echo-planar spectroscopic imaging scans were obtained before and after cooling. Brain temperature was estimated using the Metabolite Imaging and Data Analysis System software package, which allows voxel-level temperature calculations using the chemical shift difference between metabolite (N-acetylaspartate, creatine, choline) and water resonances. Eleven participants (six healthy volunteers, five post-stroke) underwent 80 +/- 5 minutes of cooling. The average temperature of the coolant was 1.3 +/- 0.5 degrees C below zero. Significant reductions in brain temperature (Delta T = -0.9 +/- 0.7 degrees C, P = 0.002), and to a lesser extent, rectal temperature (Delta T = -0.3 +/- 0.1 degrees C, P = 0.03) were observed. Exploratory analysis showed that the occipital lobes had the greatest reduction in temperature (Delta T = -1.5 +/- 1.2 degrees C, P = 0.002). Regions of infarction had similar temperature reductions to the contralateral normal brain. Future research could investigate the feasibility of head cooling as a potential neuroprotective strategy in patients being considered for acute stroke therapies.

Automated summary

Active conductive head cooling can significantly reduce brain temperature, with the occipital lobes showing the greatest reduction.