title: Live monitoring of brain damage in the rat model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
abstract: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurological disorder affecting upper and lower motoneurons. The transgenic ALS rat model (hSOD-1(G93A)) was used for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study using a low field wide bore magnet. T2-weighted hyperintensities were observed in the brainstem, rubrospinal tract and vagus motor nuclei with prominent lateral ventricle and cerebral aqueduct enlargements. These changes could be observed already in presymptomatic animals. T2*-weighted MRI with magnetically labeled antibodies (against CD4) revealed lymphocyte infiltration in the brainstem-midbrain region corresponding to the areas of dilated lateral ventricles. Confocal imaging revealed reactive astroglia in these areas. Thus, with the use of wide bore MRI new sites of neurodegeneration and inflammation were revealed in the hSOD-1(G93A) rat model.
authors.affiliation: School of Biology, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12, 11001 Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Danijela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bataveljić
authors.forename: Nevena
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Djogo
authors.forename: Ljubica
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zupunski
authors.forename: Aleksandar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bajić
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicaise
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pochet
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bacić
authors.forename: Pavle R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Andjus
mesh_terms: D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014022:Tissue Survival