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Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Chronic Spinal Cord Compression
Published on: May 7, 2019
Manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in experimental spinal cord injury: correlation between T1-weighted
Nikolay L Martirosyan1, Kevin M Bennett, Nicholas Theodore
1Division of Neurological Surgery, Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Objective:
Manganese (Mn(2+))-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) is a potentially important tool for assessing neural tissue regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). We evaluated the relation between Mn(2+) and T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) signals in an SCI rat model.
Methods:
Rats were divided into 4 groups with or without SCI (T9-level transection) and with or without Mn(2+) injection. Two microliters of 0.2 mol/L MnCl(2) was injected into the lateral ventricles. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed 60 hours after injection. Signal intensities at cervical, thoracic, and lumbar levels were measured and normalized to the intensity of perivertebral muscles. Spinal cord sections were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for total Mn(2+) content. The results of ICP-MS were compared with MR signal intensity.
Results:
T1-weighted MR signal intensity and ICP-MS-measured Mn(2+) were significantly decreased below the SCI injury site in Mn(2+)-injected groups with or without SCI, and were similar to intensity and Mn(2+) levels of noninjected animals. Signal intensity and Mn(2+) concentration tended to decrease from cervical to lumbar spinal levels in the control rats. ICP-MS data correlated with MRI results.
Conclusion:
The results confirmed Mn(2+) uptake in the spinal cord after intraventricular injection. T1-weighted MR signal intensity correlates with spinal Mn(2+) concentration as measured with ICP-MS. This work establishes the repeatability of MEMRI of the injured spinal cord and makes it possible to compare changes in axonal transport rates through the spinal cord after neuronal regeneration in vivo at different stages. MEMRI in animal models may improve understanding of the factors required to promote spinal cord regeneration.
Insights
Manganese (Mn2+)-enhanced MRI shows promise for spinal cord injury (SCI) research. This study confirms that MRI signal intensity correlates with manganese concentration in the injured spinal cord, validating MEMRI for assessing neural regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Imaging
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Spinal cord injury (SCI) poses significant challenges to neural tissue regeneration.
- Manganese (Mn2+)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) is a developing technique for evaluating neural repair.
- Understanding the relationship between Mn2+ concentration and MRI signals is crucial for MEMRI's application in SCI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the correlation between Mn2+ concentration and T1-weighted MR signal intensity in a rat model of SCI.
- To establish the reliability of MEMRI for assessing spinal cord regeneration after injury.
Main Methods:
- Rats underwent T9 spinal cord transection with or without intraventricular MnCl2 injection.
- MRI was performed 60 hours post-injection, with signal intensities measured and normalized.
- Spinal cord Mn2+ content was quantified using ICP-MS and compared with MRI results.
Main Results:
- T1-weighted MR signal intensity and Mn2+ levels were significantly decreased below the SCI site in injected groups.
- A positive correlation was observed between ICP-MS-measured Mn2+ concentration and MRI signal intensity.
- Signal intensity and Mn2+ concentration showed a decreasing trend from cervical to lumbar spinal levels in control rats.
Conclusions:
- Intraventricular Mn2+ injection leads to uptake in the spinal cord.
- T1-weighted MR signal intensity accurately reflects spinal Mn2+ concentration, validating MEMRI for SCI studies.
- This study confirms MEMRI's repeatability and potential for monitoring axonal transport and understanding spinal cord regeneration in vivo.
