Given the substantial dependence of neurons on continuous supply of energy, the distribution of major cerebral arteries opens a question whether the distance from the main supply arteries constitutes a modulating factor for the microstructural and functional properties of brain tissue. To tackle this question, multimodal MRI acquisitions of 102 healthy volunteers over the full adult age span were utilised. Relaxation along a fictitious field in the rotating frame of rank n = 4 (RAFF4), adiabatic T1ρ, T2ρ, and intracellular volume fraction (fICVF) derived from diffusion-weighted imaging were implemented to quantify microstructural (cellularity, myelin density, iron concentration) tissue characteristics and degree centrality and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations to probe for functional metrics. Inverse correlation of arterial distance with robust homogeneity was detected for T1ρ, T2ρ and RAFF4 for cortical grey matter and white matter, showing substantial complex microstructural differences between brain tissue close and farther from main arterial trunks. Albeit with wider variability, functional metrics pointed to increased connectivity and neuronal activity in areas farther from main arteries. Surprisingly, multiple of these microstructural and functional distance-based gradients diminished with higher age, pointing to uniformization of brain tissue with ageing. All in all, this pilot study provides a novel insight on brain regionalisation based on artery distance, which merits further investigation to validate its biological underpinnings.

1st Department of Neurology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University and University Hospital of St Anne Brno Czech Republic

1st Department of Neurology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University and University Hospital of St Anne Brno Czech Republic; Department of Neurology Charles University Faculty of Medicine Hradec Králové Czech Republic

1st Department of Neurology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University and University Hospital of St Anne Brno Czech Republic; Department of Neurology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University and University Hospital Brno Brno Czech Republic

Center for Magnetic Resonance Research University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN United States of America

Center for Magnetic Resonance Research University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN United States of America; Department of Neurology Charles University 1st Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital Prague Czech Republic

Central European Institute of Technology Masaryk University Neuroscience Centre Brno Czech Republic

Department of Neurology Charles University Faculty of Medicine Hradec Králové Czech Republic; Department of Neurology Comprehensive Stroke Center University Hospital Hradec Králové Czech Republic

Department of Statistical Modelling Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences Prague Czech Republic

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