Abstract #0408

Combined T2 and IDEAL MRI Permit Identification of Nerve Injury Prior to Distal Muscle Inflammation and Atrophy, and Nerve Repair Prior to Muscle Regrowth

Saurav Chandra¹, Nicole Londraville², Samuel Cadena², Erica C. Henning¹

¹Global Imaging Group, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), Cambridge, MA, United States; ²Musculoskeletal Disease Area, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), Cambridge, MA, United States

Neurodegeneration is largely a consequence of aging, injury, or disease (eg., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Severe neurodegeneration is associated with muscle atrophy, impaired functional capacity, and in some cases, death. In this study, combined T2 and IDEAL MRI permitted non-invasive identification of nerve injury prior to distal muscle inflammation and atrophy, and nerve repair prior to muscle regrowth. This is with high sensitivity and reliability, without contrast agent. These findings provide selection of key time points for target identification and profiling of nerve injury/repair and muscle atrophy/regrowth.