title: Temporal evolution of 3-nitropropionic acid-induced neurodegeneration in the rat brain by T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted, and perfusion magnetic resonance imaging.
abstract: An appropriate detecting technique is necessary for the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases. 3-Nitropropionic acid-intoxicated rats serve as the animal model for one neurodegenerative disease, Huntington's disease. Non-invasive diffusion- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging were applied to study temporal evolution and spatial distribution of brain lesions which were produced by intravenous injection of 3-nitropropionic acid in rats. Lesions in the striatum, hippocampus, and corpus callosum but not in the cortex were observed 3 and 4.5 h after 3-nitropropionic acid injection (30 mg/kg) on the diffusion- and T2-weighted images, respectively (n = 6). The results demonstrated that the diffusion-weighted imaging is not only superior to T2-weighted imaging in detecting onset of 3-nitropropionic acid-induced excitotoxic brain damage but also differentiates lesion and non-lesion areas with better spatial resolution than T2-weighted imaging. Additionally, to correlate structural alterations with pathophysiological conditions, dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and 4 h after 3-nitropropionic acid administration (n = 8). The relative cerebral blood volume was significantly elevated in the striatum (P < 0.001) but not in the cortex after 3-nitropropionic acid administration. The changes in regional relative cerebral blood volume were well correlated to the changes in signal intensities in the corresponding areas on the diffusion- and T2-weighted images. The combined structural and functional information in this study may provide new insights and therapeutic strategies in treating neurodegenerative diseases.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chyi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009574:Nitro Compounds; D011422:Propionates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D009574:Nitro Compounds; D011422:Propionates; C015392:3-nitropropionic acid