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Updated: Aug 16, 2026
Scoring Central Nervous System Inflammation, Demyelination, and Axon Injury in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Published on: February 23, 2024
Pathology-guided MR analysis of acute and chronic experimental allergic encephalomyelitis spinal cord lesions at 1.5T
Lisa L Cook1, Paula J Foster, Stephen J Karlik
1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada.
Purpose:
To directly correlate spinal cord pathology of guinea pigs with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) to the MRI data obtained at 1.5T.
Materials And Methods:
Spinal cords from EAE animals were imaged in vivo with the following MRI sequences: T2-FSE, PD-FSE, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR)-FSE, T2-CSE, T1-CSE, T1-CSE + gadolinium-DTPA (Gd-DTPA), PD-CSE, and short-tau inversion recovery (STIR)-FSE. The spinal cords were removed and the lesions with specific pathological compositions were identified by histological analysis. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn on the corresponding MR images, and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) were measured for each MR sequence and compared with controls.
Results:
The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of STIR-FSE and PD-CSE was able to differentiate tissue that contained cellular infiltrates with a high degree of accuracy. The SNRs of T2-FSE, STIR-FSE, T2-CSE, PD-CSE, and T1-CSE + Gd-DTPA were elevated in lesions that contained cellular infiltrates alone, whereas the SNRs of PD-CSE and T1-CSE + Gd-DTPA were reduced in demyelinated lesions that also contained inflammation.
Conclusion:
The SNR difference between the two lesion groups suggests that the combination of STIR-FSE, PD-CSE, and T1-CSE + Gd-DTPA sequences may be useful for differentiating inflammatory lesions containing demyelination from lesions with inflammation alone.
Insights
This study correlates spinal cord pathology in guinea pigs with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) to MRI data. Specific MRI sequences can differentiate inflammatory lesions with and without demyelination.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
- Pathology
Background:
- Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a model for demyelinating diseases.
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is crucial for visualizing central nervous system pathology.
- Differentiating lesion types in EAE is important for understanding disease progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To directly correlate spinal cord pathology in EAE guinea pigs with 1.5T MRI data.
- To evaluate the efficacy of various MRI sequences in characterizing EAE lesions.
- To identify MRI parameters that distinguish between different types of spinal cord lesions.
Main Methods:
- In vivo MRI of guinea pig spinal cords using multiple sequences (T2-FSE, PD-FSE, FLAIR-FSE, T2-CSE, T1-CSE, T1-CSE + Gd-DTPA, PD-CSE, STIR-FSE).
- Histological analysis of spinal cord lesions to determine pathological composition (cellular infiltrates, demyelination).
- Measurement of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) in regions of interest (ROIs) and comparison with control tissues.
Main Results:
- Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated high accuracy for STIR-FSE and PD-CSE in differentiating cellular infiltrates.
- Elevated SNRs were observed in lesions with cellular infiltrates alone using T2-FSE, STIR-FSE, T2-CSE, PD-CSE, and T1-CSE + Gd-DTPA.
- Reduced SNRs were noted in demyelinated lesions with inflammation for PD-CSE and T1-CSE + Gd-DTPA.
Conclusions:
- Signal-to-noise ratio differences between lesion types suggest distinct pathological characteristics.
- The combination of STIR-FSE, PD-CSE, and T1-CSE + Gd-DTPA sequences shows promise for differentiating inflammatory lesions with demyelination from those with inflammation only.
- This MRI approach can aid in the non-invasive characterization of spinal cord pathology in EAE models.
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