title: In vivo diffusion tensor imaging and ex vivo histologic characterization of white matter pathology in a post-status epilepticus model of temporal lobe epilepsy.
abstract: Although epilepsy is historically considered a disease of gray matter, recent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have shown white matter abnormalities in patients with epilepsy. The histopathologic correlate of these findings, and whether they are a cause or consequence of epilepsy, remains unclear. To characterize these changes and their underlying histopathology, DTI was performed in juvenile rats, 4 and 8 weeks after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE). In the medial corpus callosum (CC), mean diffusivity and axial diffusivity (MD and λ₁) as well as a myelin staining were significantly reduced at 4 weeks. Only the λ₁ decrease persisted at 8 weeks. In the fornix fimbriae (FF), λ₁ and myelin staining were decreased at both time points, whereas fractional anisotropy (FA) and MD were significantly reduced at 8 weeks only. We conclude that SE induces both transient and chronic white matter changes in the medial CC and FF that are to some degree related to myelin pathology.
authors.affiliation: Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Departments of Child Neurology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. p.vaneijsden@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van Eijsden
authors.forename: Wim M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Otte
authors.forename: W Saskia
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: van der Hel
authors.forename: Onno
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: van Nieuwenhuizen
authors.forename: Rick M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Dijkhuizen
authors.forename: Robin A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: de Graaf
authors.forename: Kees P J
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Braun
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013226:Status Epilepticus / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology*