Longitudinal Correlation of T2 and Motor Neuron Loss in the SOD1G93A Mouse Mode of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Kimberly Malesky¹, Joan Greve¹, Han Lin², Claire E. Le Pichon², Kimberly Scearce-Levie², Richard A. D. Carano¹

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurological disease characterized by motor neuron loss eventually leading to paralysis and death. In this study, we define the relationship between T2 values and motor neuron density longitudinally in the SOD1G93A transgenic mouse line. We demonstrated that T2 values obtained for the facial nucleus, nucleus trigeminus and nucleus hypoglossus are significantly inversely correlated with motor neuron count in these nuclei. This longitudinal characterization will further validate T2 MRI as a valuable tool to characterize neuronal loss and facilitate the use of T2 MRI as a preclinical readout of potential therapies for neurodegenerative disease.