title: Methylmercury chloride damage to the adult rat hippocampus cannot be detected by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
abstract: Previous studies have found that methylmercury can damage hippocampal neurons and accordingly cause cognitive dysfunction. However, a non-invasive, safe and accurate detection method for detecting hippocampal injury has yet to be developed. This study aimed to detect methylmercury-induced damage on hippocampal tissue using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Rats were given a subcutaneous injection of 4 and 2 mg/kg methylmercury into the neck for 50 consecutive days. Water maze and pathology tests confirmed that cognitive function had been impaired and that the ultrastructure of hippocampal tissue was altered after injection. The results of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed that the nitrogen-acetyl aspartate/creatine, choline complex/creatine and myoinositol/creatine ratio in rat hippocampal tissue were unchanged. Therefore, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy can not be used to determine structural damage in the adult rat hippocampus caused by methylmercury chloride.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhiyan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China ; Department of Radiology, Hainan Provincial Nongken Hospital, Haikou, Hainan Province, China.
authors.forename: Jinwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: Guangyuan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.
authors.forename: Jianying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Zeqing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
authors.forename: Yongyi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bi
keywords: NSFC grant; behavior; cognitive dysfunction; hippocampus; methylmercury chloride; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; pathology; proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy