Nabeela Nathoo1,
Smriti Agrawal2, V. Wee Yong3, Jeffrey F. Dunn1,
4
1Radiology,
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 2Cell Biology and
Anatomy, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 3Clinical
Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 4Experimental
Imaging Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) detects lesions in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). SWI lesions in EAE are due to deoxyhemoglobin (vascular) or iron deposition/demyelination (parenchymal). We hypothesized that changing the percent of inspired oxygen would differentiate vascular lesions from parenchymal lesions in vivo. Some lesions disappeared upon changing the inspired gas from 30% O2 to 100% O2; others became hyperintense. Parenchymal lesions remained with 100% O2. Altering the percent of inspired oxygen can differentiate lesions that are vascular in origin from those that are not, helping us better understand MS pathophysiology detected with SWI.