Abstract #1312

MRI of Cuprizone Induced Demyelination in Rat Brain

Wendy Oakden¹, Nicholas A Bock², Alia Al-Ebraheem³, Michael J Farquharson³, and Greg J Stanisz^1,4,5

¹Physical Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada, ²Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavior, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, ³Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, ⁴Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, ⁵Neurosurgery and Pediatric Neurosurgery, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland

The cuprizone mouse model of demyelination is widely used. While initial histological studies in rats reported only spongiform encephalopathy, more recent work has also demonstrated demyelination. In this study we use a high-resolution myelin-contrast optimized MRI protocol to identify regions of altered myelin content in the rat brain. Wistar rats were imaged after 2, 4, and 6 weeks on a cuprizone diet. Luxol fast blue was used to assess demyelination, and X-Ray fluorescence for quantification of transition metals which also affect MRI contrast. This study demonstrates that cuprizone-induced demyelination in the rat brain can be observed in vivo using MRI.

This abstract and the presentation materials are available to members only; a login is required.

Join Here