title: Morphologic and functional changes in the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion rat model for Parkinson's disease discerned with microSPECT and quantitative MRI.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of neurodegeneration of the nigrostriatal tract in a rodent model of Parkinson's disease on the different MR contrasts (T(2), T(1), CBF and CBV) measured in the striatum.
  
  
  METHODS
  Animals were injected with 6-hydroxydopamine (6OHDA) in the substantia nigra resulting in massive loss of nigrostriatal neurons and hence dopamine depletion in the ipsilateral striatum. Using 7T MRI imaging, we have quantified T(2), T(1), CBF and CBV in the striata of 6OHDA and control rats. To validate the lesion size, behavioral testing, dopamine transporter muSPECT and tyrosine hydroxylase staining were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences were demonstrated in the absolute MRI values between 6OHDA animals and controls; however, 6OHDA animals showed significant striatal asymmetry for all MRI parameters in contrast to controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These PD-related asymmetry ratios might be the result of counteracting changes in both intact and affected striatum and allowed us to diagnose PD lesions. As lateralization is known to occur also in PD patients and might be expected in transgenic PD models as well, we propose that MR-derived asymmetry ratios in the striatum might be a useful tool for in vivo phenotyping of animal models of PD.
authors.affiliation: Bio-Imaging Lab, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp, Belgium. nadja.vancamp@ua.ac.be
authors.forename: Nadja
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Camp
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vreys
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Laere
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lauwers
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beque
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verhoye
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casteels
authors.forename: Alfons
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verbruggen
authors.forename: Zeger
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Debyser
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mortelmans
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sijbers
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nuyts
authors.forename: Veerle
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Baekelandt
authors.forename: Annemie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van der Linden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D016627:Oxidopamine; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D011859:Radiography; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D016627:Oxidopamine