TRADITIONAL POSTER - ismrm

Poster Sessions
2367. Metabolic Profiling to Characterise Brain Tissues from a New Animal Model of Neurodegeneration
with Lewy Body Pathology
Philippine Camilla Geiszler 1,2 , Lynn Bedford 3 , R John Mayer 3 , Dorothee P. Auer 1 , Clare A. Daykin 2
1 Division of Academic Radiology, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United
Kingdom; 2 Division of Molecular and Cellular Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham,
Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom; 3 School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghanshire, United
Kingdom
This NMR spectroscopy-based metabolic profiling pilot study was conducted to examine the ability to characterise early effects of neurodegeneration in
ubiquitin proteasome-depleted mice. In specific brain areas, these animals develop pyknotic nuclei preceding Lewy body-like neuronal inclusions and
extensive neuronal loss. Cortices and hippocampi were extracted at the pyknotic nuclei stage. Liquid-state spectra, recorded at 400MHz, showed significant
metabolic alterations (N-acetylaspartate, taurine, choline) in both areas indicative of substantial neuronal cell remodelling before neuronal death. The
investigation demonstrated clearly the ability of NMR-based metabolic profiling techniques to aid in the characterisation of early neurodegeneration.
2368. Assessing Lysosomal Pathology Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Yuan Mei 1 , Robia G. Pautler 2
1 Department of Psychology, Rice University, Houston, TX, United States; 2 Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics,
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
There are many neurodegenerative diseases that cause lysosomal pathology including Alzheimer’s and Sandhoff disease. In these disorders, cellular
irregularities disrupt the lysosomal membrane and cause the organelle to lose its internal acidity. Using a convertible T1 contrast agent sensitive to acidity,
we hypothesize that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to detect lysosome membrane permeabilization and loss of acidity in mouse models
with lysosomal pathology. If successful, this methodology can potentially be applied in vivo and used as a tool to improve current diagnostic methods for
neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.
2369. Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) Analysis Reveals Novel Changes in Lateral Thalamic Nuclei of
Kainic Acid Treated Rats - Comparison of DTI and Histology
Alejandra Sierra 1 , Kimmo Lehtimäki 1,2 , Teemu Laitinen 1 , Lassi Rieppo 3,4 , Asla Pitkänen 1,5 , Olli Gröhn 1
1 Department of Neurobiology, A.I. Virtanen for Molecular Sciences, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland; 2 Cerebricon Ldt.,
Kuopio, Finland; 3 Department of Physics, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland; 4 Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biomedicine,
University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland; 5 Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in combination with tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) analysis provides valuable anatomical information about changes in
brain areas contributing to epileptogenic process. Lateral thalamic nuclei are one of the areas highlighted in TBSS showing increased FA 6 months after
status epilepticus in rats. The present work is focused to characterize the interrelationship of histopathological changes and ex vivo DTI in combination with
TBSS analysis using several histological stainings and polarized light microscopy.
2370. Brain Behavior Relationship in Wild-Type Mice and a Mouse Model of Huntington’s Disease
Jurgen Germann 1 , Jeffrey B. Carroll 2 , Christine Laliberte 1 , R. M. Henkelman 1 , Michael R. Hayden 2 , Jason
P. Lerch 1
1 The Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; 2 Centre for Molecular Medicine and
Therapeutics, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
We examined brain-behavior correlations in mice using MRI and 4 behavioural tests: Rotarod, Forced-Swim, Pre-pulse-Inhibition and Open Field test.
Secondly, we investigated how these relationships are altered in a Huntington’s disease (HD) mouse model. Strong correlations were found in the wild-type
mice identifying functional networks related to motor function, stress and anxiety, cortical gating and memory. The correlations are an expression of learning
induced structural changes and provide insight into the study of brain networks controlling behavior; their absence in the HD mice could provide some
insight into disease processes as they interfere with the changes normally induced by learning.
2371. Diffusion Kurtosis in a Symptomatic Rat Model of Huntington’s Disease: Selective Grey and White
Matter Pathology
Ines Blockx 1 , Marleen Verhoye 1 , Dirk Poot 2 , Johan Van Audekerke 1 , Huu Phuc Nguyen 3 , Stephan Von
Hörsten 4 , Jan Sijbers 2 , Annemie Van der Linden 1
1 Bio Imaging lab - University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; 2 Vision Lab - University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; 3 Department
of Medical Genetics - University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; 4 Experimental Therapy - Friedrich-Alexander University,
Erlangen, Germany
Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI) quantifies the well known non-gaussianity of the diffusion process in biological tissue and is therefore an indicator of
microstructural complexity. HD is a progressive late-onset neurodegenerative disorder and is characterized by the formation of huntingtin aggregates and
degeneration of the corticostriatal network. In the present study, we used the microstructural sensitivity of DKI, to detect neurodegeneration in symptomatic
tgHD rats at the age of 16 months. Region of interest analyses revealed significant differences of DT and DK parameters in grey (caudate putamen) and even
in white matter (external capsula) structures.
2372. Areas of Susceptibility of the Predisposed Immature Rat Brain to Hyperthermic Seizures and
Resultant Neurodevelopment Delay : An MRI and PET Study
Olivier Clerk-Lamalice 1 , Pierre Gravel 2 , Luc Tremblay 1 , Roger Lecomte 1 , Lionel Carmant 3,4 , Martin
Lepage 1
1 Centre d’imagerie moléculaire de Sherbrooke, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada; 2 Département de radiologie,
Hôpital Notre-Dame du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; 3 Centre de recherche de l’hôpital