Premium
In vivo assessment of neurodegeneration in niemann‐pick type C mice by quantitative T2 mapping and diffusion tensor imaging
Author(s) -
Totenhagen John W.,
LopePiedrafita Silvia,
Borbon Ivan A.,
Yoshimaru Eriko S.,
Erickson Robert P.,
Trouard Theodore P.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of magnetic resonance imaging
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1522-2586
pISSN - 1053-1807
DOI - 10.1002/jmri.22837
Subject(s) - white matter , diffusion mri , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , pathology , in vivo , neurodegeneration , myelin , disease , nuclear medicine , radiology , biology , central nervous system , microbiology and biotechnology
Abstract Purpose: To quantitatively and noninvasively assess neurological disease progression in a mouse model of Niemann‐Pick type C (NPC) disease by measuring white matter status with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques of T2 mapping and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Materials and Methods: Quantitative T2 and DTI experiments were performed in vivo in NPC disease model and control mice at three timepoints to quantify differences and changes in white matter with measurements of T2 relaxation and DTI parameters. Histological staining for myelin content was also performed at two timepoints to compare with the MRI findings. Results: The results of the T2 and DTI measurements show significant differences in white matter areas of the brain in the NPC disease model compared to control mice at several timepoints, and were seen to change over time in both groups. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that quantitative MRI measurements may be suitable in vivo biomarkers of disease status for future studies of NPC disease models. The changes in white matter measurements between timepoints in both control and NPC disease groups suggest that white matter structures continue to change and develop over time in the NPC model and can be tracked with MRI techniques. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2012;35:528‐536. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.