Tohoku Medical Megabank Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study: Rationale, Design, and Background

Makiko Taira; Shunji Mugikura; Naoko Mori; Atsushi Hozawa; Tomo Saito; Tomohiro Nakamura; Hideyasu Kiyomoto; Tadao Kobayashi; Soichi Ogishima; Fuji Nagami; Akira Uruno; Ritsuko Shimizu; Tomoko Kobayashi; Jun Yasuda; Shigeo Kure; Miyuki Sakurai; Ikuko N Motoike; Kazuki Kumada; Naoki Nakaya; Taku Obara; Kentaro Oba; Atsushi Sekiguchi; Benjamin Thyreau; Tatsushi Mutoh; Yuji Takano; Mitsunari Abe; Norihide Maikusa; Yasuko Tatewaki; Yasuyuki Taki; Nobuo Yaegashi; Hiroaki Tomita; Kengo Kinoshita; Shinichi Kuriyama; Nobuo Fuse; Masayuki Yamamoto

doi:10.31662/jmaj.2022-0220

Tohoku Medical Megabank Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study: Rationale, Design, and Background

JMA J. 2023 Jul 14;6(3):246-264. doi: 10.31662/jmaj.2022-0220. Epub 2023 Jun 30.

Authors

Makiko Taira^{1

2

3}, Shunji Mugikura^{1

2

3}, Naoko Mori^{1

2

3}, Atsushi Hozawa¹, Tomo Saito^{1

4}, Tomohiro Nakamura¹, Hideyasu Kiyomoto¹, Tadao Kobayashi¹, Soichi Ogishima^{1

4}, Fuji Nagami^{1

2}, Akira Uruno^{1

2}, Ritsuko Shimizu^{1

2}, Tomoko Kobayashi^{1

2

3}, Jun Yasuda^{1

5}, Shigeo Kure^{1

2

3

6}, Miyuki Sakurai¹, Ikuko N Motoike^{1

7}, Kazuki Kumada¹, Naoki Nakaya¹, Taku Obara¹, Kentaro Oba^{1

2

8}, Atsushi Sekiguchi^{1

9}, Benjamin Thyreau^{1

2

8}, Tatsushi Mutoh^{2

8}, Yuji Takano^{1

8

10}, Mitsunari Abe^{1

9

11}, Norihide Maikusa^{1

9

12}, Yasuko Tatewaki^{2

8}, Yasuyuki Taki^{1

2

8}, Nobuo Yaegashi^{1

2

3

4}, Hiroaki Tomita^{1

2

3}, Kengo Kinoshita^{1

4

7}, Shinichi Kuriyama^{1

2

13

14}, Nobuo Fuse^{1

2

4}, Masayuki Yamamoto^{1

2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
² Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
³ Tohoku University Hospital, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁴ Advanced Research Center for Innovations in Next-Generation Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁵ Miyagi Cancer Center, Natori, Japan.
⁶ Miyagi Children's Hospital, Sendai, Japan.
⁷ Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁸ Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
⁹ Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
¹⁰ University of Human Environments, Matsuyama, Japan.
¹¹ Graduate School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan.
¹² Graduate School of Art and Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
¹³ International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
¹⁴ The United Centers for Advanced Research and Translational Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.

Abstract

The Tohoku Medical Megabank Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study (TMM Brain MRI Study) was established to collect multimodal information through neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessments to evaluate the cognitive function and mental health of residents who experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) and associated tsunami. The study also aimed to promote advances in personalized healthcare and medicine related to mental health and cognitive function among the general population. We recruited participants for the first (baseline) survey starting in July 2014, enrolling individuals who were participating in either the TMM Community-Based Cohort Study (TMM CommCohort Study) or the TMM Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study (TMM BirThree Cohort Study). We collected multiple magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences, including 3D T1-weighted sequences, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL), and three-dimensional fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences. To assess neuropsychological status, we used both questionnaire- and interview-based rating scales. The former assessments included the Tri-axial Coping Scale, Impact of Event Scale in Japanese, Profile of Mood States, and 15-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale, whereas the latter assessments included the Mini-Mental State Examination, Japanese version. A total of 12,164 individuals were recruited for the first (baseline) survey, including those unable to complete all assessments. In parallel, we returned the MRI results to the participants and subsequently shared the MRI data through the TMM Biobank. At present, the second (first follow-up) survey of the study started in October 2019 is underway. In this study, we established a large and comprehensive database that included robust neuroimaging data as well as psychological and cognitive assessment data. In combination with genomic and omics data already contained in the TMM Biobank database, these data could provide new insights into the relationships of pathological processes with neuropsychological disorders, including age-related cognitive impairment.

Keywords: TMM Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study (TMM BirThree Cohort Study); TMM Community-Based Cohort Study (TMM CommCohort Study); The Tohoku Medical Megabank Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study (TMM Brain MRI Study); cognitive impairment; neuroimaging; neuropsychological assessments.

Publication types

Review