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Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Assessing Functional Performance in the Mdx Mouse Model
Published on: March 27, 2014
Assessment of aged mdx mice by electrical impedance myography and magnetic resonance imaging
Jim S Wu1, Jia Li2, Robert L Greenman3
1Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, USA.
Introduction:
Similar to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electrical impedance myography (EIM) is dependent on the presence and location of water in muscle to assess neuromuscular diseases. We compared the 2 technologies in mdx mice to better understand their relationship.
Methods:
EIM and MRI, using T2 relaxation and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), were performed on the gastrocnemius of 10 mdx and 10 wild-type mice. Muscle function and tissue composition measurements were compared with the EIM and MRI data.
Results:
EIM reactance and T2 relaxation mapping can discriminate healthy from diseased mice (P < .001 for both), but DWI could not. Both T2 relaxation and EIM reactance also correlated closely with muscle function/composition and with each other.
Conclusion:
Given the low cost of EIM and the simplicity of application, it may be a valuable alternative to muscle MRI in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, where simple cumulative indices of muscle health are being sought.
