title: Repeated amphetamine treatment alters spinal magnetic resonance signals and pain sensitivity in mice.
abstract: Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) has been extensively used in studying the structural and functional features of the central nervous system (CNS). Divalent manganese ion (Mn(2+)) not only enhances MRI contrast, but also enters cells via voltage-gated calcium channels or ionotropic glutamate receptors, which represents an index of neural activities. In the current mouse model, following the repeated amphetamine (Amph) treatment, a reduction of reactivity to thermal pain stimulus was noticed. Since the spinal dorsal horn is the first relay station for pain transmission in CNS, we examined the changes of neural activity in the dorsal spinal cord, particularly the superficial dorsal horn, by analyzing manganese-enhanced T1-weighted MR images (T1WIs). Our data revealed a temporal correlation between reduced pain sensitivity and increased MEMR signals in the spinal dorsal horn subsequent to repeated Amph treatments.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary MRI/MRS Lab, Graduate Institute of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, ROC; National Taiwan University Molecular Imaging Center, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Bing-Hsuan
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary MRI/MRS Lab, Graduate Institute of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, ROC; National Taiwan University Molecular Imaging Center, Taiwan, ROC; Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: jhchen@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Jyh-Horng
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, ROC; Graduate Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: hsyin@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Hsiang-Shu
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yin
mesh_terms: D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects; D066148:Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D000661:Amphetamine
keywords: Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging; Spinal dorsal horn; T1-weighted MR images; Thermal pain