Striatal grafts in a rat model of Huntington's disease: time course comparison of MRI and histology.
Survival and integration into the host brain of grafted tissue are crucial factors in neurotransplantation approaches. The present study explored the feasibility of using a clinical MR scanner to study striatal graft development in a rat model of Huntington's disease. Rat fetal lateral ganglionic eminences grown as free-floating roller-tube cultures were grafted into the quinolinic acid-lesioned striatum, and T1- and T2-weighted sequences were acquired at 2, 7, 21, and 99 days posttransplantation. MR images were then compared with images of corresponding histological sections. The lesion-induced striatal degeneration caused a progressive ventricle enlargement, which was significantly different from controls at 21 days posttransplantation. Seven days posttransplantation, T1-weighted images revealed a defined liquid-isointense signal surrounded by a hyperintense rim at the site of graft placement, which was found unaltered for the first 21 days posttransplantation, whereas a hypointense graft signal was detected at 99 days posttransplantation. At 2 days posttransplantation, T2-weighted images showed the graft region as a hyperintense area surrounded by a rim of low signal intensity but at later time-points graft location could not be further verified. Measures for graft size and ventricle size obtained from MR images highly correlated with measures obtained from histologically processed sections (R = 0.8, P < 0.001). In conclusion, the present study shows that fetal rat lateral ganglionic eminences grown as free-floating roller-tube cultures can be successfully grafted in a rat Huntington model and that a clinical MR scanner offers a useful noninvasive tool for studying striatal graft development.
Guzman
R
R
Department of Neurosurgery, Inselspital, Bern, Switzerland.
Meyer
M
M
Lövblad
K O
KO
Ozdoba
C
C
Schroth
G
G
Seiler
R W
RW
Widmer
H R
HR
D000818:Animals; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D051937:Dopamine and cAMP-Regulated Phosphoprotein 32; D005260:Female; D016332:Fetal Tissue Transplantation; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018715:Microscopy, Video; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000637:transplantation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors
D051937:Dopamine and cAMP-Regulated Phosphoprotein 32; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase