Diffusion tensor imaging correlates with cytopathology in a rat model of neonatal hydrocephalus
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Read the article on pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗Article · Nov 2010 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
This preclinical study correlates DTI metrics with histopathologic findings in a rat model of neonatal hydrocephalus, demonstrating that decreased fractional anisotropy and increased mean diffusivity correspond to astrocytosis, microglial activation, and demyelination in affected white matter structures.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Statements in this article
Diffusion tensor imaging is a non-invasive MRI technique that has been used to quantify CNS abnormalities in various pathologic conditions.
DTI data were acquired between postnatal day 7 and P12 in 12 rats with hydrocephalus induced at P2 and in 15 age-matched controls.
Animals were euthanized at P11 or P22/P23 and brains were processed with immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein, ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule, and luxol fast blue to assess astrocytosis, microglial reactivity and degree of myelination, respectively.
Hydrocephalic rats were consistently found to have an abnormally low fractional anisotropy value at corrected p-level of less than 0.05 in the cerebral cortex, the corpus callosum, and the internal capsule.
Hydrocephalic rats were consistently found to have an abnormally high mean diffusivity value at corrected p-level of less than 0.05 in the cerebral cortex, the corpus callosum, and the internal capsule.
Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated trends of increasing astrocyte and microglial reactivity in hydrocephalic rats at P11 that reached statistical significance at P22/P23.
A trend toward reduced myelination in the hydrocephalic rats was found at P22/P23.
Correlation analysis at P11 for the corpus callosum demonstrated statistically significant correlations or trends between the DTI measurement (the decreased fractional anisotropy and increased mean diffusivity values) and cytopathologic findings.